












.. 












(■: 









y 


















. 

MISTRESS BRANICAN. 







/ 




























» 




























'I 
















































♦ 











/T\i stress Brapiqap 


JULES VERNE 


wst ' 

Tm 




* 





BY 


MISTRESS 


BRANICAN 


JULES VERNE 

AUTHOR OF “CLESAR CASCABEL,” “MICHAEL STROGOFF, THE COURIER OF 
THE CZAR,” “ AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS,” ETC. 


TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY 

A. ESTOCLET 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

L. BENETT 



CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY 


104 & 106 Fourth Avenue 


* 


\f i> Cj ^-TYU^ 


Copyright, 1891, by 
CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY. 


All rights reserved. 


. THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS,. 
RAHWAY, N. J. 


CONTENTS 




PART I. 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

I. 

The “Franklin,” .... 

I 

II. 

Family Matters, 

! 13 

III. 

Prospect House, .... 


IV. 

On Board the “ Boundary,” . 

• . • 33 

V. 

Three Months Pass By, 

. 44 

VI. 

The End of a Sad Year, 

• • 54 

VII. 

Miscellaneous Events, 

. . . 64 

VIII. 

A Hard Tas», 

75 

IX. 

Discoveries, 

. 86 

X. 

Preparations, 

96 

XI. 

First Expedition to the Malay Seas, 

. 102 

XII. 

Another Year Goes By, 

115 

XIII. 

Exploring the Timor Sea, 

. 128 

XIV. 

Browse Island, 

00 

CO 

M 

XV. 

A Living Waif 


XVI. 

Harry Felton, 

. ' . 166 

XVII. 

By “Yes” and by “No,” 

. 172 


PART II. 


I. 

With Full Steam on, .... 

• • 185 

II. 

Godfrey, 


III. 

A Historical Hat, .... 

2U 


IV 


CONTENTS. 




\ 


CHAPTER PAGE 

IV. The Express From Adelaide, ..... 223 

V. Across South Australia, 234 

VI. An Unexpected Meeting, 248 

VII. Going Northward, 261 

VIII. Beyond Alice Spring Station, 277 

IX. Mrs. Branican’s Diary, 290 

X. A Few More Extracts, 304 

XI. Symptoms, 318 

XII. Last Efforts, 332 

XIII. Among the Indas 343 

XIV. Len Burker’s Little Game, 355 

XV. Retribution, 365 

XVI. The Denouement, ....... 374 



MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


PAR T /. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE “FRANKLIN.” 

W HEN you part with friends on the threshold of a long 
journey, there are at least two chances of your never 
seeing them again ; those whom you leave behind may not 
be there on your return, and you, who go away, may never 
come back. Such calculations, however, were far away 
from the thoughts of the sailors who were preparing to get 
under sail on board the Franklin , on the morning of the 15th 
of March, in the year 1875. 

On that day, the Franklin , Captain John Branican, was 
leaving the port of San Diego (California) for a cruise 
across the northern seas of the Pacific. 

A fine vessel of 900 tons she was, too. Rigged as a three- 
mast schooner, liberally set with brigantine sails, jibs and 
poles, she carried jury-sail, top-sail and gallant-sail on her 
foremast. Very high in her aft quarters, somewhat arched 
in her bottom, with her bow so shaped as to furrow the 
water at a very sharp angle, her masts slightly bent and 
rigorously parallel, her galvanized wire rigging as stiff as 
though it were of metal bars, she looked the very latest 
type of those elegant clippers that North America uses so 
much to her advantage in carrying on her immense trade 


2 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


and which vie in speed with the best steamers of her com- 
mercial fleet. 

The Franklin had at the same time so strong a frame and 
so trusty a commander that not one of her crew would have 
accepted an engagement on another ship even with the in- 
ducement of higher pay. They were all going off with that 
twofold confidence at heart which is founded on a good 
ship and a good captain. 

The Franklin was on the’eve of starting on her first long 
trip for the firm of W. H. Andrew, of San Diego. She was 
to go to Calcutta, by way of Singapore, with a freight of 
American-made goods and to return with a cargo of Indian 
products for one of the ports on the coast of California. 

The captain was a young man, twenty-nine years of age. 
Endowed with an attractive but resolute appearance, his 
features bespeaking unusual energy, he possessed in the 
highest degree that moral pluck, which is so far above 
physical courage — that “two hours after midnight ” cour- 
age, as Napoleon used to say, which is ever ready for the 
unforeseen and can be relied upon in its full vigor at any 
time. His head was more characteristic than handsome, 
with his rough hair, his eyes aglow with a frank and sharp 
glance that shot like an arrow from his dark pupils. It 
would have been hard to find in a man of his age a more 
robust constitution or a stronger frame. You felt the 
warmth of his blood and the strength of his muscles in that 
vigorous clutch of his when he grasped your hand in friend-, 
ship. One point there is upon which emphasis must be 
laid : the soul contained within that iron frame was the soul 
of a good and generous being, ready to sacrifice his life to 
save a fellow-creature. John Branican had the spirit of 
those lifeboat men whose sang froid enables them to achieve 
deeds of heroism without a moment’s thought. Of this he 
had given early proofs. One day in the midst of broken ice 
in the bay, another time on the capsizing of a boat, he had 



































« 




: 













i 


































































































> 





























The “’Sonora” had run ashore 


(A 3 ). 












THE “ FRANKLIN . 


3 


saved the lives of youngsters like himself. Nor in after 
years was he to belie the instincts of bravery that he had 
displayed in his youth. 

John Branican had lost his father and mother just a few 
years, when he married Dolly Starter, an orphan, belong- 
ing to one of the best families in San Diego. The very 
modest dowry of this young girl was in perfect harmony 
with the equally humble position of the young sailor, who 
was as yet but a simple lieutenant on board a trading ves- 
sel. But there was hope that some day Dolly would inherit 
the fortune of a rich uncle, Edward Starter, who led the 
life of a settler in the wildest and least accessible part of 
the State of Tennessee. In the meantime, though, pro- 
vision should be made for two, for three in fact ; for little 
Walter — Wat, they called him for short — was born a year 
after their marriage. So John, as his wife easily under- 
stood, could not afford to give up his seafaring life for the 
present. When the time came, he would see what he should 
do, in the event of his reaping the inheritance, or of his 
saving up a competency in the service of the Andrew firm. 

Meanwhile the career of the young seaman in the merchant 
navy had been made by rapid strides. As we will see 
presently he had pushed his way swiftly as well as straight. 
He was captain at an age when the rest of his colleagues 
were but mates or lieutenants on board trading ships. If 
so rapid an advancement was justified by his qualifications, 
it had been influenced also by certain circumstances that 
had deservedly drawn public attention upon him. 

As a matter of fact, John Branican was a popular man 
in San Diego, as ind-eed in the various ports of the Califor- 
nian coast. His acts of bravery had brought him to the 
notice not only of the seafarers but of the merchants and 
shipowners of the Union. 

A few years before, a schooner from Peru, the So?iora , 
had run ashore at the mouth of Coronado Beach ; there 


4 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


was no hope for the crew if means of communication failed 
to be established between the wreck and the shore. But 
bringing a rope across the breakers was risking one’s life 
a hundred times. Not a moment did John Branican pause. 
Away he rushed among the billows that were lashing against 
him, was tossed about on the reefs by them and even- 
tually hurled back to the beach. In view of the almost 
certain death which he would fain affront again, the be- 
holders endeavored to keep him back ; it was in vain ; once 
more he dashed toward the schooner, succeeded at last 
in reaching it, and, thanks to his courage, the crew of the 
Sonora were saved. 

A year later, during a storm that was raging 500 miles off 
the Western Pacific coast, Branican had had another op- 
portunity of showing what hopes might be reposed in him. 
He was lieutenant on board the Washington , whose captain 
had just been washed overboard along with half the crew. 
Left on board the disabled ship with a handful of men, 
most of whom were wounded, he took command of her, and 
although unable to use the helm, he managed to get her 
under control, rigged up temporary masts, and brought her 
safely into port at San Diego. This hull which they were 
barely able to keep afloat contained a cargo valued at 
$500,000, and this happened to belong to the firm of W. H. 
Andrew. 

The welcome the young sailor was accorded, when the 
Washington anchored in the bay of San Diego, may be 
readily imagined. Since the events at sea had made him 
captain, what more natural than that he should be con- 
firmed in the post by the unanimous vote of the population ? 

It was then that the Andrews built the Franklin and of- 
fered him the command. The lieutenant accepted, as he 
felt himself quite equal to the task, his only trouble being 
the selection of his crew out of . the numerous applicants 
whose blind trust in his ability made them desirous of serv- 


5 


THE “FRANKLIN.” 

in g under him. Such were the circumstances under which 
the Franklin * was starting on her first trip in command of 
John Branican. 

This voyage was quite an event for the whole town. The 
Andrew firm was justly considered one of the most repu- 
table in San Diego. Well known for the uprightness of its 
business transactions and the solidity of its credit, it was 
administered with a safe and practiced hand by Mr. William 
Andrew himself. He was more than esteemed, was this 
worthy shipowner : he had won the affection of all ; and his 
recognition of John Branican’s worth was unanimously 
applauded. 

No wonder then if, on this morning of the 15th of March, 
a large number of spectators, let us say a concourse of the 
known and of the unknown friends of the young captain, 
crowded the quays of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, 
to cheer him off with one last God-speed. 

The crew of the Franklin was composed of twelve men, 
all told, good and experienced seamen, all of them belong- 
ing to the port of San Diego. The ship’s mate was an ex- 
cellent officer, Harry Felton by name. Although five or 
six years older than his captain, he felt in no way hurt 
at having to serve under him, nor did he envy him the 
preferment that made him his superior : in his opinion John 
Branican had well deserved the post. Both of them had 
sailed together before and mutually appreciated each other’s 
qualities. Besides, anything Mr. Andrew did was well done. 
Harry Felton and his men were devoted to hini, heart and 
soul. Most of them had already served on one or the other 
of his ships. They were as though one family of officers and 
men, a numerous family, which constituted his staff on the 
high seas and kept on increasing apace with the prosperity 
of his house. 

So it was without the least apprehension, with eagerness 
even, that the crew of the Franklin were setting out on this 


6 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


new enterprise. Fathers, mothers, and relatives of all sorts 
were there to bid them farewell, but after the fashion of 
people who expected to see them again soon. 

“ Good-by for a while, lads.” It was after all but a six 
months’ voyage, just a summer trip, from California to India, 
there and back from San Diego to Calcutta, and not one of 
those commercial undertakings or voyages of discovery 
which take a ship away for many a long year, sailing on the 
most dangerous seas of the two worlds. These seamen 
had been on very different cruises, and their families had 
often experienced a more sorrowful separation. 

However, the preparations were rapidly being completed. 
lihzFranklm, anchored in the middle of the bay, had already 
got clear of the other vessels, the number of which pro- 
claimed the maritime importance of San Diego. From the 
place where she was anchored the three-master would not 
need the assistance of a tug to get out of the harbor. Once 
the anchor weighed and the sails unfurled, a good breeze 
would take her quickly and without further trouble out of 
the bay. Captain John Branican could not have wished for 
more suitable weather or a more favorable wind, on that sea 
which sparkled yonder, off the Coronado Islands, under the 
rays of the sun. 

By this time — ten o’clock in the morning — it is needless 
to say that all the crew were on board. No more sailors 
were allowed to go ashore again, and so, for them, the cruise 
had practically begun. A few rowing boats from the port, 
made fast to the starboard ladder, were awaiting those who 
had wished to embrace their relatives and friends one last 
time. Although the tides are not strong in the basin of the 
Pacific, it was better to start with the ebb, which would now 
be felt in a very short time. 

Among the principal visitors on board were of course the 
head of the firm, Mr. William Andrew, and Mrs. Branican, 
followed by the nurse carrying little Wat. They were 






BPBli 

WT • •*. Wvl 1 

BW>\: 

t'W 

A 



■■* * 


gf 






• — ? 

Pit _ _ — — — - 

r. ^ 





r* 

r. • 

ip 


Quite an 


Event for 


THE WHOLE 


Town (/. 5). 







































































THE “ FRANKLIN . 


7 


accompanied by Mr. Len Burker and Jane his wife, Dolly’s 
first cousin. The mate, Harry Felton, a happy bachelor, 
had no intimate friends’ adieux to receive. At the last 
moment, his employer’s good wishes would not fail him, 
and he little cared for any other, save those of the cap- 
tain’s wife. These two he was sure of beforehand. 

So Harry Felton stood on the forecastle, where half a 
dozen men were at the capstan weighing anchor. The 
metallic clink of the pawls could be heard as they went. 
The Franklin already began to heave a little and her chains 
creaked through the hawse-holes. The broad pendant with 
the firm’s initials was floating from the top of the mainmast, 
while the American flag, flying in the breeze from the brigan- 
tine gaff, displayed the federal stars and stripes. The un- 
furled sails were ready to be hoisted as soon as the vessel 
had got a little under way with the help of her foremast and 
jibs. 

On the fore part of the deck, while keeping his eye on the 
work that was going on, John Branican was receiving the 
shipowner’s final instructions about the bill of lading, in 
other words the account of the cargo he had on board. Then, 
as the latter handed it to the young captain, he added : 

“ If by chance you were obliged to alter your course in 
any way, John, do the best you can in our interest, and let 
us hear from you from the first port you call at. Perhaps 
you will put into port at one of the Philippine Islands, as 
I suppose you do not intend going by the Torres Strait? ” 

“No, sir,” replied Captain John, “Lam not going to 
risk the Franklin in any of those dangerous seas round about 
North Australia. The course I mean to take is by way of 
the Hawaiian and the Marianne Islands to Mindanao in the 
Philippines, thence to the Island of Celebes, through the 
Strait of Macassar, so as to make for Singapore by the Java 
Sea. From there to Calcutta the course is clearly marked. 
So, I do not think the itinerary I have adopted can be altered 


8 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


in any way by the winds we shall meet in the west of the 
Pacific. If, therefore, you should have to wire me any im- 
portant order, please send it either to Mindanao, where I 
may put into port, or to Singapore, where I certainly will 
call.” 

“ That’s a settled matter, John ; and on your part let me 
know the market prices in Calcutta as soon as possible. A 
change in the rates might make me change my plans as to 
your cargo on the return trip.” 

“ I will not fail to do so, sir,” was the reply. 

At this moment Harry Felton came forward and said : 

“All ready, captain.” 

“ And the ebb ? ” 

“ Just beginning to feel it.” 

“ Hold fast, then.” 

And turning anew to the shipowner, the grateful captain 
repeated : 

“ Again I thank you, Mr. Andrew, for having intrusted 
the command of the Franklin to me. I hope I may show 
myself worthy of your confidence.” 

“ I am sure you will, John,” replied the merchant. “ I 
could not place my interests in safer keeping than yours.” 

Then after warmly shaking hands with the young captain 
he went to the aft part of the deck. 

Mrs. Branican, with the nurse and child, had just come 
over to her husband, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Burker. 
The parting moment had arrived. Captain John Branican 
had now only to bid adieu to his wife and relatives. 

As we know, Dolly had not been married two years, and 
her little boy was barely nine months old. Although this 
separation caused her intense sorrow, she buried it deep in 
her bosom, and bid her throbbing heart be still, whereas her 
Cousin Jane, naturally weak and without self-control, could 
not conceal her grief. She dearly loved Dolly, with whom 
she would often seek comfort when her own husband’s 


THE “ FRANKLIN ; 


9 


temper would be more violent than usual, and she could 
easily see the fears and anxieties that Dolly was trying to 
overcome. Of course Captain John was to be back in six 
months’ time ; still, it was a parting, — the first they had 
had to bear since they were married, — and if Dolly had 
sufficient mastery over herself to repress her tears, it may 
be said that Jane cried for her. As to Len Burker, a man 
whose hard features no emotion ha(j ever softened, he 
paced up and down with tearless eyes, his mind kept away 
from the scenes around him by heaven knows what calcu- 
lations, and his two hands in his pockets. He evidently 
was not in communion of thought with those visitors who 
had been brought aboard by any feeling of loving sympathy 
for the departing friends. 

Captain John took his wife’s two hands in his anci drew 
her to him. 

“ Darling Dolly,” said he, “ I am going away. It won’t 
be for long — you will see me again soon. I’ll come back 
to you Dolly, never fear. On my vessel and with my 
crew, what danger could befall us? Be a little woman, as # 
a sailor’s wife ought to be. When I come back, our little 
Wat, there, will be fifteen months old. Quite a big lad ! 
He will be able to talk, and the first word I’ll hear when I 
come back ” 

“Will be your name, John,” interrupted Dolly. “Your 
name is the first word I will teach him ! We will be always 
talking together about you. You will write as often as you 
can, John, won’t you? I will look out for your letters so 
impatiently ! And you will tell me all about what you have 
done, and what you are going to do, that I may feel I am 
still and always with you when you are away ? ” 

“Of course, Dolly, I will write to you. I will send you 
an account of the whole voyage. Why, my letters will be a 
regular log-book, with loving things to you in the bargain ! ” 

“Ah, John, I am so jealous of the sea that takes you so 


IO 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


far away ! How I envy those who love each other and who 
never have to part ! Still, no — I ought not to think of that 
just now.” 

“ Dear wifie, I beseech you, say to yourself that it is for 
our child’s sake that I am going, — for your own, too, — to 
enable me to make you both comfortable and happy ! If 
we get rich one of these days, I will never leave you again ! ” 

Just then Len Burker and Jane came over. Turning to 
them, John said : 

“ Len‘, old friend, I -am leaving my wife and child to 
your care. You are the only relatives they have in San 
Diego ! ” 

“You may rely on us, John,” replied Burker, trying to 
soften the harsh tone of his voice; “we’ll be there, Jane 
and I • we’ll look after Dolly.” 

“And I’ll console her,” 'added Mrs. Burker, “never 
fear ; you know how much I love you, Dolly. I will come 
and stay a few hours with you every day, and we will talk 
about John.” 

“For sure, Jane,” said Mrs. Branican, “for I shall be 
always thinking about him.” 

The conversation was again interrupted by Harry Felton, 
who thought it would never end. 

“ Captain,” said he, “it’d be about time to ” 

“ Right you are, Harry,” answered Captain Branican. 
“ Hoist the main jib and brigantine sail.” 

The mate went off to give the necessary orders, which 
meant immediate departure. 

“ Mr. Andrew,” said the young captain, addressing the 
shipowner, “ the long boat is waiting to take you back to 
land, with my wife and friends. When you are ready ” 

“ Right away, John,” replied the old gentleman ; “and 
once more, my lad, God speed ! ” 

“ Yes, safe home,” repeated the other visitors, who began 


THE “FRANKLIN." 


II 


to make their way down the starboard side to the boats 
awaiting them. 

“Good-by, Len ! Good-by, Jane !” said John, shaking 
them both by the hand. 

“ Good-by ! Good-by ! ” answered Mrs. Burker. 

“ And now, my Dolly, we must go ! — there ! ” added John, 
“ see, the ship is moving.” 

And sure enough the Franklin was giving the least pitch 
and roll under the brigantine sail and jib, as the sailors 
hoisted them to the wind, singing as they pulled the ropes. 

In the meantime, Captain John accompanied his wife to 
the ladder, and as she was about to step down, he clasped 
her in his arms one last time, as utterly unable now to 
speak to her as she would have been to reply. 

Then the baby, whom Dolly had taken from the nurse, 
stretched out his arms to his father, waved his little hands, 
and a cry escaped from his lips : 

“ Pa-pa ! Pa-pa ! ” 

“ There, John,” cried Dolly, “you have heard his first 
word before starting ! ” 

Strong-hearted as he was, the young captain could not 
keep back a tear, which fell on little Wat’s cheek as he 
stooped over him. 

“ Dolly ! ” he whispered, “ good-by ! good-by ! ” 

Then turning quickly away, so as to put an end to this 
sorrowful scene, he shouted : 

“ Let go ! ” 

The next moment the little boat, having cast its moor- 
ings, was slowly making its way to the shore, where its 
passengers landed. 

The captain then busied himself with the final prepara- 
tions for starting. The Franklin, freed from her last moor- 
ings, was beginning to feel the wind that was filling her 
flapping sails. The main jib had just been hoisted, and 


12 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AJV. 


the brigantine sail made the vessel luff a little, as soon as 
it was set. This maneuver was to enable the ship to get 
safely around a few vessels anchored in the bay. 

At the next command from Captain Branican, the main- 
sail and the foresail were hoisted in such style as befitted 
so good a crew. Then the Franklin, getting to the lar- 
board side, stood out to sea, so as not to have to change 
her course again. 

From the extremity of the quay on which the crowd had 
gathered, they were in a position to admire these different 
maneuvers. Nothing could be more graceful than the ele- 
gant craft, as she swayed to and fro under the breath of 
the capricious wind. As she was rounding the other ves- 
sels, she drew quite close to that part of the wharf where 
Mr. Andrew, Dolly, Len Burker, and Jane were standing. 

When he came within half a cable’s length, the young 
captain could once more see his wife, relatives, and friends, 
and bid them all one last farewell with a last wave of his 
hand. 

“ Good-by ! Good-by ! ” he cried. 

“ Hurrah ! ” shouted the crowd of spectators, waving 
their handkerchiefs. 

He was such a favorite with all of them, was Captain John 
Branican ! Was he not the one, of all her children, that the 
town had most cause to be proud of ? Every man of them 
would be there on his return, as soon as his ship came in 
sight. 

At the mouth of the bay, the Franklin had to luff to make 
room for a big mail steamer, and the stars and stripes gayly 
floated in the air when the two vessels saluted each other as 
they passed. 

Mrs. Branican stood silently on the wharf watching her 
husband’s ship as a fresh northeasterly breeze swiftly bore 
it away ; and her longing eye remained fixed upon it so long 
as the mast head was visible above Island Point, 







A Cry escaped from his Lips: “Pa-pa!” ( p . n). 













FAMILY MATTERS. 


13 


The ship, however, soon rounded the Coronado Islands, 
which lie outside the bay. For one moment more, the 
pendant flying from the mainmast could be seen through 
the opening of a cliff .... then all disappeared from sight. 

“Good-by, dear John ; good-by ! ” murmured Dolly. 

Why did a strange presentiment prevent her from adding, 
“ Till I see you again ” ? 


CHAPTER II. 

FAMILY MATTERS. 

I T now seems expedient to add some more definite touches 
to our picture of Mrs. Branican, who is destined to be 
brought so prominently forward by the various events in 
this story. 

Dolly was at this time twenty-one years old. She was 
American by birth. But without going back too far into 
her ancestry, it would have been easy to find that she be- 
longed to the Spanish or rather Mexican stock from which 
most families in these parts have descended. Her mother 
in fact was born at San Diego, and San Diego was already 
in existence at the time when California still belonged to 
Mexico. The immense bay, discovered about three and a 
half centuries ago, by the Spanish navigator Juan Rodri- 
guez Cabrillo, and originally named San Miguel, assumed 
its new name in 1602. Then, in 1846, this province changed 
its three-colored flag for the stars and stripes of the confed- 
eration and from that time forward it has been part of the 
United States. 

Of medium height, with a face brightened by two dark 
flashing eyes, a fresh complexion, a mass of dark brown 
hair, hands and feet a thought larger than those usually 
found in Spaniards, a firm but graceful gait, features 
denoting characteristic energy as well as kindness of heart, 
such was Mrs, Branican, There are women that no eye 


14 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


can gaze on with indifference ; and before her marriage, 
Dolly was rightly ranked among the young girls of San 
Diego — where beauty is anything but rare — whose charms 
attracted most attention. She was felt to be serious and 
thoughtful-minded, sensible and intelligent, accomplish- 
ments which could not but develop further after her mar- 
riage. Yes, no matter how hard her life’s lot might 
prove to be, Dolly, when she became Mrs. Branican, would 
be able to do her duty. Having hitherto looked life straight 
in the face, and not through the glamour of a deceitful prism, 
she had grown up noble-souled and strong-willed. The 
love she felt for her husband would make her more bent on 
the fulfillment of her task. Should the opportunity ever 
present itself, — .this was no commonplace saying when ap- 
plied to her, — she would give her life for John, even as he 
would lay down his for her ; even as both would sacrifice 
themselves for their babe, whose birth had brightened the 
first year of their married life. They idolized that little 
baby who had just managed to lisp the word “ pa-pa,” as the 
young captain was about leaving both the mother and the 
child. Little Wat’s resemblance to his father was already 
striking, with regard to his features at least, for he had the 
fresh complexion of his mother. He was strongly built.; 
easily he would pull through the usual ailments of infant 
life. Besides, he would be so lovingly looked after. Ah ! 
what dreams for the future the father and mother had 
already indulged in, on behalf of this little being who was 
still on the threshold of existence ! 

Most undoubtedly Mrs. Branican would have been the 
happiest of women if John’s circumstances had allowed him 
to give up his seafaring life, not the least drawback of which 
was the necessity of their living apart. But when the com- 
mand of the Franklin was offered him, how could she have 
thought of putting herself in his way ? And then, should 
she not take into consideration the needs of their household, 


FAMILY MATTERS. 


15 


the requirements of that little family circle which might 
grow larger yet perhaps ? Dolly’s dowry was barely suf- 
ficient for the very necessaries of life. Of course John 
might reckon on the fortune that Dolly was to inherit from 
her uncle, unless indeed in the event of most unlikely mis- 
haps — seeing that Mr. Edward Starter was nearly sixty years 
old, and had no heir but his niece. Sure enough her cousin, 
Jane Burker, belonged to the family on the mother’s side, 
but she was in no way related to the uncle. So Dolly 
would surely be rich some day, but then it might not be for 
ten years to come, perhaps not for twenty. Hence, while 
having no anxiety for the future, John should needs work 
for the present. He was therefore quite determined to 
continue in the service of the Andrews, the more so as he 
had been given an interest in the commercial transactions 
of the Fra?iklin. Being a good business man as well as a 
daring sailor, he had every hope of making his family com- 
fortable while waiting for Edward Starter’s inheritance. 

Just one word about this American — an unparalleled 
specimen of his type. 

He was the brother of Dolly’s father, consequently the 
uncle of the young girl who had become Mrs. Branican. 
Dolly’s father, his senior by five or six years, had 
brought him up, so to speak ; for they were both orphans. 
And owing to this the younger*Starter had always felt for 
his brother a sincere affection, enhanced by an equally gen- 
uine sense of gratitude. Fortune having favored him, he 
traveled fast on the road to wealth, while Starter senior 
wandered astray on those by-paths which seldom lead to the 
wished-for goal. True he had been obliged to go very far 
West, buying and settling large tracts of land in the State 
of Tennessee ; still he had always kept up a correspondence 
with his brother, whose business kept him in New York 
State. When the latter became a widower he settled in 
San Diego, the birth town of his wife, where he, too, died 


i6 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


after the betrothal of Dolly to John Branican. The mar- 
riage took place as soon as the period of mourning was 
over, and the young couple began married life with nothing 
but the modest fortune left by the bride’s father. 

A little time afterward, a letter came to San Diego for 
Dolly Branican from Starter junior. It was the first he had 
ever written to his niece : it was very likely to be the last, 
also. 

In substance this letter stated, in a style as concise as it 
was practical, that : 

Although Starter junior was very far away from her, and 
had never seen her even, he did not forget that he had a 
niece, the daughter of his brother. If he had never seen 
her, it was because he had not come across Starter senior 
since the latter had got married, and again because his home 
was near Nashville in the furthermost corner of Tennessee, 
whereas she lived at San Diego. Now as it was sev- 
eral hundred miles from Tennessee to California, Star- 
ter junior had no possible wish to go there. And, as he 
thought the journey much too tiresome for himself to go see 
his niece, he guessed it would be just as tiresome for her, 
if she came to see him ; and he prayed her, therefore, not 
to trouble herself in this connection. 

In truth he was a perfect bear ; not a grizzly with claws 
and fur, but one of those -human bears who insist on living 
altogether outside the domain of social intercourse. 

In any case this was not of a nature to annoy Dolly in 
the least. She was the niece of a bear, granted ! but this 
bear had an uncle’s heart. He had not forgotten what 
Starter senior had done for him, and he would make his 
brother’s daughter his sole heiress. 

He proceeded to say that the fortune he would leave her 
was even now worth picking up. It amounted already to 
some $500,000, and would still increase no doubt, as his busi- 
ness out in Tennessee was getting on Ai. The property 




A Settler in the far West (/. 15), 


FAMILY MATTERS. 


17 


consisted in lands and cattle, so that when the time came 
a good price could be got for it, and there would be no 
lack of bidders. 

Although stated in this blunt, almost rough, fashion, so 
peculiar to the old-time Americans, what was said was said. 
The entire fortune of Starter junior would be left to Mrs. 
Branican, or her children, in the event of the race of the 
Starters being kept up {sic) through her. Should Mrs. 
Branican die without issue, this fortune was to go to the 
State, which, he felt no doubt, would be delighted to 
accept it. 

Two points more : 

First, Starter junior was a bachelor. A bachelor he would 
remain. “ That absurd mistake, but too often committed 
by people between the ages of twenty and thirty, he was 
not the man to perpetrate at sixty” — such were the very 
words of the letter. Nothing, therefore, could happen to 
prevent the fulfillment of his intentions. His fortune would 
inevitably fall into the hands of the Branicans, as sure as 
the Mississippi falls into the Gulf of Mexico. 

Second, Starter junior would use every effort — would 
make superhuman efforts — to keep the property from his 
niece as long as possible. He would endeavor to live to be 
a hundred years old, nor should she blame him for this 
natural desire on his part to put off his demise to the 
furthest possible date. 

Lastly, he begged Mrs. Branican — he even ordered her — 
not to answer him. In truth there hardly existed any 
means of communication between the towns and the forest 
settlements in the midst of which he lived. As to himself, 
she would never hear from him again until she got the 
document announcing his death, and that of course would 
not be penned by himself. 

Such was the extraordinary letter Mrs. Branican received. 
That she was to be the sole heiress of her uncle’s property, 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 


iS 

there was no doubt. One day she would become possessed 
of those $500,000, and probably more, thanks to the 
labors of this ’cute settler. But, as Mr. Starter had strongly 
expressed his intention to overreach his centenary, — and 
Heaven knows if North Americans are determined people, — 
John Branican had been a wise man not to give up his 
sailor life. With his intelligence and courage he would 
easily be able to make enough to live comfortably with his 
wife and child, long before Uncle Starter would consent 
to take his departure for the next world. 

Such was the state of affairs of the young couple when 
the Franklin set sail for the West. And now, all this having 
been detailed for the better understanding of the event- 
ualities about to be narrated, it would not be amiss to call 
attention to the only relatives Dolly had at San Diego, to 
Mr. and Mrs. Burker. 

Len Burker, an American by birth, then about thirty-one 
years old, had come to the capital of Lower California only 
a few years previously. This Yankee from New England 
was a man of cold exterior, hard-featured, muscular, reso- 
lute, full of activity, and at the same time extremely reticent, 
never allowing his face to betray the secrets of his thoughts 
and never talking of what he was doing. There are natures 
that are not unlike a house whose shutters are tightly 
closed, and the doors of which are never opened to anyone. 
His was one of them. And yet there was no unpleasant 
gossip going around at San Diego about this uncommuni- 
cative man, who, by his marriage with Jane Burker, had 
become John Branican’s cousin. So, it was quite natural 
that the latter should leave Dolly and the child under their 
care, seeing he had no other relatives but them. In truth 
it was more especially under Jane’s care he left them, 
knowing as he did the affection the two cousins had for 
each other. 

It would have been very different if John had known the 


FAMIL Y MA TTERS. 


19 


true character of Len Burker ; if he had been aware of the 
cunning that lay behind the impenetrable mask he wore ; of 
the utter disregard he felt for social conventionalities, the 
respect of self and the rights of other people. Deceived 
by his rather seductive appearance, and by the fascinating 
kind of spell he held over her, Jane had married him five 
years before in Boston, where she was living with her 
mother. The latter died shortly after the celebration of 
this marriage, which was to prove such an unhappy one ; 
and Jane’s dowry, with the money left by the deceased, 
would have been quite sufficient for the newly married pair to 
live on, if Len Burker had been the man to follow the 
straight road, and not the crooked paths of life ; but he was 
not. After having devoured a portion of his wife’s fortune 
Len Burker, whose commercial credit had suffered consid- 
erably in Boston, resolved to leave that town. Away, at 
the other end of America, in a new land, where his “ shady” 
reputation would not follow .him, he might find opportuni- 
ties which were no Ipnger forthcoming in New England. 

Jane, who now knew her husband, eagerly acceded to 
this change, glad to get away from Boston, where Len 
Burker’s position gave rise to unfavorable comments ; happy 
also to be going near the only relation that remained to 
her. And they accordingly came to live at San Diego, 
where Dolly and Jane met again. 

As a matter of fact, during the three years they had 
already been there, Len Burker had so effectually concealed 
the dishonesty of his transactions that nobody entertained 
any suspicions about him. 

Thus it was that the two cousins had renewed acquaint- 
ance at the time when Dolly had not yet become Mrs. 
Branican. 

The young wife and the young girl grew very much at- 
tached to each other. And although it was Jane who ought 
to have led Dolly, the reverse was the case. Dolly was 


20 


MISTRESS BRANICAtf. 


strong, whereas Jane was weak; and soon the maiden 
became the young wife’s support. When Dolly’s engage- 
ment to John Branican was announced, Jane was delighted 
— a very different kind of marriage from hers, this one 
promised to be ! And what sympathy she might have 
found in the new couple, had she mustered up sufficient cour- 
age to reveal to them the secret of her troubles ! But, a very 
slave to her husband, she never had dared to do sp. 

In the meantime, Len Burker’s position became more 
and more alarming. The little that was left of his wife’s 
fortune when he left Boston was nearly all squandered. 
This spendthrift, or rather this impassioned speculator, was 
one of those who trust everything to chance and expect 
everything from chance alone. Such a spirit, unamenable 
to the counsels of reason, could not but lead him, and was 
actually leading him, to a disastrous end. 

On his coming to San Diego, Len Burker opened an 
office in Fleet Street — one of those offices that smell of the 
thieves’ den, where any idea, good or bad, may be the start- 
ing point of a scheme. An adept at holding up the glit- 
tering phases of a scheme, free from any scruple as to the 
means he employed, clever at transforming specious quib- 
bles into arguments, and rather inclined to look upon the 
property of other people as his own, he had very soon rushed 
into twenty different speculations, all of which became so 
many successive wrecks, and in all of which he suffered pro- 
portionately. At the time this story begins, Len Burker 
was reduced to “ shifting ” expedients, and the hardships 
of straitened circumstances had been felt in his household. 
However, as he had kept the knowledge of his transactions 
to himself, he could still command a certain credit, which he 
used in making fresh dupes by setting up new speculations. 

Nevertheless this state of affairs could but end fatally. 
It would not be long ere complaints would be made. Perhaps, 
this adventurous Yankee, who had emigrated West, would 


FAMILY MATTERS. 


21 


now have no other course but to quit San Diego, even as he 
had quitted Boston. And yet, in this town, the center of 
such intellectual and commercial activity, whose improve- 
ments grew from year to year, an honest and intelligent man 
would have found a hundred opportunities of getting rich. 
But he should possess what Len Burker had not : upright 
sentiments, accurate judgment, what might be styled the 
probity of human intelligence. 

One thing we must insist upon : neither John Branican 
nor William Andrew, nor anybody in fact, had the least idea 
of the nature of Len Burker’s affairs. In the industrial 
and commercial world no one knew that this adventurer — 
would to Heaven he deserved no worse name ! — was on the 
road to ruin. And even when the crisis should come, people 
might perhaps look upon him merely as an unlucky man, 
and not as one of those unprincipled beings ready to use any 
means for the purpose of obtaining money. So, although 
feeling no very deep sympathy for him, John Branican had 
never conceived any suspicion on his behalf. It was then 
with a feeling of perfect security that he relied on the 
Burkers to look after his wife during his absence. If any- 
thing was ever to happen which would oblige Dolly to have 
recourse to them, her appeal would not be vain. Their 
house was open to her, and she would find in it the welcome 
due, not only to a friend, but to a sister. 

In this respect, indeed, Jane Burker’s feelings could not 
be placed in doubt. The affection she showed for her 
cousin was as boundless as it was disinterested. Far from 
finding fault with the sincere friendship which bound these 
two young women together, Len Burker had, on the con- 
trary, encouraged it, doubtless with an eye to the future 
and to the advantages that their intimacy might procure 
him. He knew, moreover, that Jane would never say any- 
thing that she ought not to say, that she would keep a 
discreet silence about his own affairs, about what she needs 


22 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


must know of the unlawful schemes in which he was 
engaged, and about the difficulties against which she had 
begun to battle in her household. On these several topics 
Jane would be silent ; not even a word of complaint would 
escape her lips. To say it once more, completely mastered 
by her husband, she submitted absolutely to his will, 
although she knew him to be a man without conscience, 
who had lost every shred of moral sense, and’ capable of 
committing the most unpardonable deeds. And after so 
many deceptions how could she have retained the slightest 
esteem for him ? But — and too much stress could not be 
laid on this most essential point — she dreaded him ; she 
was as a very child in his hands, and at a beck from him she 
would once again follow him, if, for safety sake, he was 
compelled to run away to any part of the globe. Lastly, 
were it only out of self-respect, she would not have let 
others see the misery she was enduring, not even her cousin 
Dolly, who suspected them perhaps, despite her reticence. 

Now, the position of John and Dolly Branican on one 
side, and that of Len and Jane Burker on the other, are 
sufficiently well established for the reader. To what extent 
these positions were to be modified by the unexpected 
events about to happen, so quickly and so suddenly, no 
one could possibly have foreseen. 


CHAPTER III. 

PROSPECT HOUSE. 

T HIRTY years ago Lower California — about a third of 
the State of California — had only 35,000 inhabitants ; 
150,000 is now the figure of its population. At the time 
of our story the territories of this province, on the ut- 
most bounds of Western America, were absolutely waste, 
and seemed fit for nothing but the rearing of cattle. Who 


PROSPECT HOUSE. 




could have guessed what a future was in store for so for- 
lorn a spot, when the only means of communication by 
land were a few tracks made by wagon wheels, and by 
sea one single line of vessels engaged in the coasting 
trade. 

And yet as early as the year 1769, there had been a nu- 
cleus of a town a few miles inland, north of the Bay of San 
Diego. Thus it is that the present town can claim, in the 
history of the country, the honor of having been the earliest 
settlement in the Californian district. 

When the new continent — bound to old Europe by mere 
colonial ties, which the United Kingdom obstinately per- 
sisted in holding too tight — rose up in its might to assert 
its rights, these bonds were severed. The Union of the 
States of North America sprang up under the flag of inde- 
pendence. England lost all but the debris of her former colo- 
nies, the Dominion of Canada and Columbia, whose return 
to the Union may be looked upon as a certainty at no distant 
date. As to the separation movement, it had* spread over 
the central populations who now had but one thought : 
breaking their fetters, whatever they might be. 

California was not at that time under the Anglo-Saxon 
yoke. It belonged to the Mexicans, and remained so until 
1846. In that year, after setting itself free, the township 
of San Diego, created eleven years before, became what it 
ought to have always been — American. 

The Bay of San Diego is magnificent. It has been com- 
pared to the Bay of Naples, but its comparison would per- 
haps be more exact with the Bay of Vigo or that of 
Rio de Janeiro. Being twelve miles long and two miles 
wide, it affords anchorage for a trading fleet as well as 
maneuvering room for a whole naval squadron, for it is also 
considered a military port. Somewhat oval shaped, with a 
narrow entrance toward the west, between Island Point 
and Loma or Coronado Point, the bay is sheltered on all 


24 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


sides. The winds from the high sea do not reach it ; the 
swell from the Pacific Ocean hardly disturbs its surface ; 
vessels get out of it without difficulty, and ride in it at an 
average minimum depth of twenty-three feet. It is the 
only safe and practicable port of call on the west coast 
south of San Francisco and north of San Quentin. 

With so many natural advantages it was evident the old 
boundaries of the town would soon prove too narrow. 
Already it had been necessary to erect military huts on a 
neighboring tract of brushwood land, for the accommoda- 
tion of a detachment of cavalry. Thanks to the initiative 
of Mr. Horton, and his excellent plans, a town-annex quickly 
grew on this spot, and nowadays this annex has become 
the city and stretches out on the ridge north of the bay. 
The enlargement took place with that speed so familiar to 
American towns. A million dollars, sown on the land, pro- 
duced a crop of private houses, public buildings, offices, and 
villas. In 1885 San Diego had already 15,000 inhabitants — 
to-day it has *35,000. Its first railroad dates from 1881. 
Now, the Atlantic and Pacific Road, the Southern California 
Road, the Southern Pacific Road all put it in communica- 
tion with the interior, even as the Pacific Coast Steamship 
Company connects it with San Francisco. 

A pretty and comfortable town it is, with good air, in 
good sanitary conditions, and with a climate now too well 
known to need any praise. In the environs the country is 
of unparalleled fertility. Vines, olive trees, orange and lemon 
trees grow side by side with the trees, fruits, and vegetables 
of the North. 

As to the town itself, it is built with that picturesque 
comfort, that freedom of architecture, and that display of 
individual taste which is so conducive to health, when it is 
not checked by the scarcity of the land to be built upon. 
There are parks, squares, wide streets, trees scattered here 
and there ; in other words there is health in direct proportion 




One of those Offices that smell of the Thieves’ Den (/. 20), 
















PROSPECT HOUSE. 25 

to the amount of air so plentifully given to this fortunate 
population. 

And then, if progress in all its forms was not found in a 
modern city, especially when that city is American, where 
would it be looked for ? Gas, the telegraph, the telephone, 
are there ; the inhabitants have but to hold up a finger to 
be at once supplied with light, to be enabled to send their 
telegrams, or carry on conversation from one part of the city 
to the other. You see tall poles, 50 feet high, throw electric 
light down on the streets of the town. If they have not yet 
devised a General Milk Company to distribute milk through 
underground pipes to every house, if those movable side- 
walks that are to travel at the rate of twelve miles an hour 
are not in working order at San Diego yet, these things will 
undoubtedly come to pass after a certain time. 

To these advantages let us add those various institutions 
in which is exhibited the vitality of all great agglomerations, 
a Custom House whose transactions increase day by day, 
two banks, a Chamber of Commerce, an Emigration Bureau, 
vast and numerous exchanges, where enormous quantities 
of wood and flour are bought and sold ; churches of all 
denominations, three markets, a theater, a gymnasium, three 
large schools, a County Court House, Masonic and Odd 
Fellows’ homes for poor children, — in fine, a number of 
establishments in which students are prepared for university 
honors, — and then we may foresee what the future has in 
store for this youthful city, so jealous of her moral and 
material interests and surrounded by so many elements of 
prosperity. Does it need newspapers ? No ! It possesses 
three dailies, the Herald among others, and each of these 
papers publishes a weekly'edition. Are tourists in danger 
of not finding comfortable lodging ? Why, not to speak of 
the lower class of hotels, have they not at their disposal 
three magnificent buildings, Horton House, Florence Hotel, 
and Gerard Hotel, with its hundred rooms ; and, on the 


26 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


opposite shore of the bay, overlooking the sands of Coronado 
Point, on an admirable site, in the middle of charming 
villas, another new hotel, the cost of which has not been less 
than five million dollars. 

From all countries in the Old World, as from all points of 
the New, let not tourists hesitate to visit this young and lively 
capital of Lower California ; they will be hospitably wel- 
comed by its generous inhabitants, and they will not 
regret their trip, save perhaps that they may think it too 
short. 

San Diego is a town full of activity, and yet very orderly^ 
like most American cities, in the whirl of its commerce. If 
life be expressed by activity, then life is indeed found here in 
the fullest acceptation of the word. Time is scarcely suf- 
ficient for the transaction of business. But if such be the 
case for people whose nature and habits hurl them into this 
whirlwind, it is no longer true of those whose life is an end- 
less series of unemployed hours. When activity ceases, 
time drags on but too slowly ! 

This is what Mrs. Branican experienced after the depar- 
ture of the Franklin. Since her marriage she had been 
mixed up with her husband’s work. Even when he would 
not be on sea, his position of' trust with the Andrew firm 
kept him ever engaged. Over and above the share he took 
in the commerical transactions, he had to superintend the 
building of the three-master that he would eventually com- 
mand. With what zeal, with what love almost, he watched 
its smallest details. He lavished upon it that incessant care 
of a man superintending the building of the house in 
which he is to spend all his life. His watchfulness was 
greater even, for a ship is not a ’house only, or the means of 
acquiring money, it is the structure of wood and iron to 
which the lives of so many men are about being intrusted. 
Is it not, besides, as though a fragment of one’s native land, 
which goes away from it to return to it again, and, which is 


PROSPECT HOUSE. 


27 


not always fated, alas, to come back to the port where it 
was born. 

Dolly very often went to the dockyard with Captain John. 
These timbers rising day by day on the inclined keel, those 
ribs suggestive of the skeleton of some gigantic sea mon- 
ster, those planks fitting into each other one by one, that 
hull with its complex shape, that deck cut here and there 
by wide hatchways for the shipping of the cargo, those 
masts lying on the ground until they should be set up in 
their places, the interior arrangements, the crew’s quarters, 
the poop and its cabins — were not all these of interest to 
her ? It was John’s life, and that of his companions, that 
the Franklin would have to defend against the billows of 
the Pacific. And hence there was not a plank which was 
not associated in her own mind with some special duty in 
view of their safety ; not a blow of a hammer, amid the 
noise of the shipyard, but re-echoed in her heart. John in- 
itiated her to all this labor, told her the use of every log of 
wood or block of metal, and showed her the progress of the 
general construction. She did love this vessel, of which 
John was about to be the very soul, the master next to God ! 
And at times she would ask herself why she did not go with 
John, why he did not take her away with him, why she 
should not share the dangers of his cruise, why she should 
not be with him on that deck when he would return to the 
port of San Diego ? Yes, she would fain have remained by 
her husband’s side. And in truth has it not entered, long 
since, into the habit of seafaring people in the North, both 
of the Old as of the New world, to bring their families 
about with them for years on the ocean wave ? 

But there was the little baby, Wat ! Could Dolly leave 
him to a nurse’s charge, far from a mother’s care ? No ! 
Nor could she bring him to sea with her and expose him to 
the hardships of a voyage so dangerous for a frail little 


28 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 


being. She should then of necessity remain at San 
Diego, with this child, so as to look after the life that had 
just been given him, not leaving him a moment, sur- 
rounding him with care and affection, so that his father on 
his return might find him the picture of health and happi- 
ness. And then again John would be away but six months ; 
for, after reloading at Calcutta, the Franklm would imme- 
diately sail for home again. And, besides, was it not her 
duty, as a sailor’s wife, to accustom herself to these obliga- 
tory partings, even though her heart never could grow 
reconciled to them ? 

Dolly should therefore resign herself to her position, and 
she did so. But after John’s departure, as soon as the bus- 
tle that had been her very life ceased around her, how 
blank, weary, and monotonous existence would have seemed 
to her, had she not been absorbed in her child, had she not 
concentrated all her love on him ! 

John Branican’s house occupied one of the farthest lots 
on the heights which incase the north side of the bay. It 
was a kind of Swiss cottage in the middle of a little garden 
planted with orange and olive trees and inclosed by a sim- 
ple wooden railing. A ground floor, with a circular veranda, 
on which opened the doors and windows of the best room 
and the dining-room, a first floor with a balcony, the gable 
prettily ornamented with the fancy border round the edge 
of the roof — such was this tasteful but simple little home. 
Inside, on the ground floor, the best room and dining-room 
were modestly furnished ; upstairs were Mrs. Branican’s 
room and the nursery ; while the wing at the back was 
devoted to the kitchen and the service of the house. Pros- 
pect House was exceptionally situated, thanks to its south- 
ern aspect. The view extended over the whole town and 
across the bay as far as the houses on Loma Point. It was 
of course somewhat distant from the center of the town ; 























































































































? 

J 































4 


f 




! . 


i 

*• 






















w 





Dolly often went 


to the Dockyard with Captain 


John (/. 27). 



















PROSPECT HOUSE. 


29 


but this slight drawback was amply compensated for by its 
position in the fresh air and its exposure to the southerly 
breeze laden with the scented brine of the Pacific Ocean. 

Here it was that Dolly was to spend her long hours of 
solitude. The child’s nurse and one servant were all that 
were required for the work of the household. The only 
visitors that ever came were Mr. and Mrs. Burker — the for- 
mer at rare intervals, the latter not so seldom. William 
Andrew, as he had promised, called frequently on the young 
woman, desirous of letting her know any information that 
might reach him directly, or otherwise, concerning the 
Franklin. Long before letters can get to their destination, 
the maritime newspapers publish an account of the vessels 
that have been spoken with, the ports they call at, and any 
shipping items that may be of interest to the owners. Dolly 
would then be kept well acquainted with all the news. As 
to her intercourse with the outer world, accustomed as she 
had been to the home life of Prospect House, she had never 
sought for it. She thought but of one thing ; and even 
though her cottage had Deen filled with visitors, it would 
have seemed empty to her since John was no longer there ; 
and empty it would remain until he returned to it. 

The first few days were very hard. Dolly did not leave 
the house. Jane Burker came to see her and they made 
themselves busy with little Wat and talked incessantly about 
Captain John. Most of the time that she was by herself, 
Dolly would spend part of the day out on the balcony. 
Her gaze would travel away across the bay, over Island 
Point, beyond the Coronado Islands. It would fain cross 
the watery line that bound yonder horizon. The Franklin 
was already far away from it. But she overtook the ship in 
thought, she walked the deck of the vessel side by side with 
her husband, and whenever a craft returning from dis- 
tant seas was perceived from afar making all sail for port 
she would say to herself that one day the Franklin , too, 


3 ° 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


would appear in the offing, and little by iittle would enlarge 
in her sight as it neared the shore, and that John would be 
on board. 

Meanwhile, little Wat’s health would soon have suffered 
from this close confinement in Prospect House. During 
the second week following the departure of the schooner 
the weather had become delightful and the breeze cooled 
the increasing heat. So Mrs. Branican made it her duty to 
go for little outings with the child and its nurse. When 
the excursion was confined to- the environs of San Diego, 
they would walk as far as the houses of Old Town, the prim- 
itive nucleus of the city. How the rosy-cheeked baby 
seemed to thrive in the open air, and how sweetly, whenever 
the nurse would stand still, he would smile at his mother 
and clap his little hands with delight. On one or two oc- 
casions when longer trips were planned, a little carriage, 
hired in the neighborhood, would bring the three away, or 
even the four, for Mrs. Burker would join the party. One 
day they went thus to a hill, scattered over with villas, 
known as Knob Hill. It overlooks Florence Hotel and 
the view therefrom extends as far out as the islands in the 
west. Another day they directed their course toward 
Coronado Beach, against which the sea dashes with the roar 
of thunder. Then the Mussel Beds were visited where 
the high tide covers the magnificent cliffs with its spray. 
Dolly could not refrain from putting her foot in contact 
with those ocean waves that seemed as though they brought 
her the echo of the far distant seas where John was then 
sailing — that same ocean which was perhaps even then 
belaboring the sides of the Franklin some thousands of 
miles away. She stood there, silently, fancying she could 
see the young captain’s vessel before her, and murmuring 
the while the name — John ! 

About ten o’clock in the morning, on the 30th of March, 
Mrs. Branican was on the balcony, when she perceived 




HOW THE ROSY-CHEEKED BABY SEEMED TO 

open Air (p. 30). 


THRIVE IN THE 



PROSPECT HOUSE . 


31 


Mrs. Burker coming toward Prospect House. She was 
walking fast, waving her hand in token of some evidently 
joyful intelligence, Dolly ran down and was at the door at 
the same time as her cousin. 

“What is it, Jane ? ” she asked. 

“ Dolly, dear,” replied Mrs. Burker, “ you are going to 
hear something that will make you happy. Mr. Andrew 
desires me to tell you that the Boundary , which came into 
port this morning, met the Franklin 
“ The Franklin ? ” 

“ Yes ! Mr. Andrew had just heard about it when he met 
me in Fleet Street, and as he would not be able to come 
here till this afternoon, I came along instead of him, not to 
keep you waiting.” 

“ And they heard from John ? ” 

“Yes, Dolly.” 

“ What did they hear ? Do tell me ! ” 

“ About a week ago the Fratiklin and the Boundary 
passed each other within hailing distance.” 

“ Everything was all right on board?” 

“ Yes, all right. The two captains were near enough 
to be able to speak with each other, and the last word they 
could hear on board the Boundary , was your name ! ” 

“ My poor John ! ” cried Mrs. Branican, her eyes filling 
with tears. 

“ I am so glad, Dolly,” continued Mrs. Burker, “to have 
been the first to bring you this piece of news ! ” 

“ And I am so thankful to you for it,” replied Mrs. Bran- 
ican. “ If you only knew how happy it has made me ! Ah, 
if I could hear every day ! John — my dear John ! The 
captain of the Boundary saw him — John spoke to him. It 
is like one more farewell he has sent me ! ” 

“ Of course, Dolly ; and, let me tell you again, all was 
well on board the Franklin." 

“ Jane, I must see the captain of the Boundary myself. 


32 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


He will be able to give me all the details. Where did they 
meet ? ” 

“That I don’t know, but the ship’s log-book will soon tell 
us, and the captain of the Boundary will give you all the in- 
formation you want.” 

“Very well, Jane, it will take me but a few minutes to 
dress, and we will go together — immediately.” 

“ No — not to-day, Dolly. We would not be allowed on 
board to-day.” 

“ Why not ? ” 

“ Because the vessel only arrived this morning, and is at 
present in quarantine.” 

“For how long?” 

“ Oh, only about twenty-four hours. It is simply a 
matter of formality ; but, for all that, nobody can ” 

“Then how did Mr. Andrew hear the news?” 

“ The Custom House people brought him a message from 
the captain. Calm yourself, Dolly dear. There can be no 
doubt about what I have just told you, and you will have 
the proof of what I say to-morrow. I only ask you to be 
patient for one short day.” 

“Well, then, we’ll wait till to-morrow,” said Mrs. Bran- 
ican. “ I will call for you about nine o’clock in the 
morning. You will come on board the Boundary with me, 
won’t you ? ” 

“ With pleasure, Dolly. I will be ready in the morning, 
and as the boat will be out of quarantine, we will be able 
to see the captain.” 

“ Is he not a Captain Ellis, a friend of John’s?” 

“ The very man, Dolly ; the Boundary belongs to the 
Andrews, you know.” 

“Well, that is all settled, Jane. I will be at your house 
at the time I mentioned. How endless this day is going to 
seem to me ! You will stop and have dinner with me ? ” 

“If you would like me to, Dolly. Burker will not be 





t 


From her Balcony she perceived Mrs. 


Burker (/. 31). 












ON BOARD THE “BOUNDARY.” 33 

home before evening, and we could spend the afternoon 
together.” 

“Quite so ; and we will talk about John, about him all 
the time.” 

“ Well, and little Wat ? How is our baby getting on ? ” 
inquired Mrs. Burker. 

“ He is very well,” replied the mother. “ As happy as a 
bird ! How pleased his father will be to see him again ! 
Jane, suppose we took him and the nurse along with us 
to-morrow ? You know I cannot bear to be away from him 
even for a few hours. I would not be easy if I lost sight 
of him — if I had not him with me ! ” 

“Why not, Dolly? That is a good idea! It will do 
him good. The weather is fine, the bay smooth as a 
lake. Why, it will be the little pet’s first sea trip ! That, 
too, is settled.” 

Jane remained at Prospect House till five in the evening. 
And as she was leaving her cousin, she again repeated that 
she would be waiting for her at nine o’clock on the morrow 
to go on board the Boundary. 


CHAPTER IV. 

ON BOARD THE “ BOUNDARY.” 

T HE next day everybody was up early at Prospect 
House. The weather was beautiful. A land breeze 
swept out to sea the last lingering mist of the night. 
The nurse attended to little Wat while Mrs. Branican was 
dressing. It had been arranged that she was to dine with 
Mrs. Burker. So a light breakfast was partaken of, suffi- 
cient for the forenoon, for her call on Captain Ellis would 
very probably last a couple of hours at least. It would be 
so delightful to hear every word the captain would say ! 
Mrs. Branican, with the nurse and the child, left the 


34 


MISTRESS BRA MICA AT. 


house as the clocks of San Diego struck half-past eight. 
The wide streets of the upper part of the town, bordered 
with villas standing on their own ground, were soon passed, 
and then Dolly turned down the narrow crowded streets 
which constitute the busy portion of the town. Len Burker 
lived in Fleet Street, not far from the wharf of the Pacific 
Coast Steamship Company. On the whole, it was a pretty 
long walk, right across town, and it was nine o’clock before 
they reached their destination. 

The house had a quiet aspect, a sad appearance even, 
with its shutters closed, most part of the time. As Len 
Burker only received business visitors, he had no inter- 
course with his neighbors. He was but little known even 
in Fleet Street, and his affairs often necessitated his being 
away from morning till night. Frequently, too, he went on 
long journeys, generally to San Francisco, for certain trans- 
actions about which he never spoke to his wife. That 
morning he was not at the office when Mrs. Branican ar- 
rived. Jane said that he was sorry he would not be able 
to accompany them on board the Boundary but he would 
not fail to be home for dinner. 

“ I am ready, my dear Dolly,” said she, after kissing the 
child ; “but won’t you sit down a moment ?” 

“ I am no^ tired in the least.” 

“ And you would not take anything before starting ? ” 

“ No, thank you, Jane ! I am so impatient to be with 
Captain Ellis. I pray you, let us go at once ! ” 

Mrs. Burker had only one old servant, a colored woman 
that her husband had brought from New York with him 
when he came to live at San Diego. Her name was No ; 
she had been Len Burker’s own nurse ; and, having always 
lived with his parents, she was devoted to him and spoke 
to him with the same familiarity as she did when he was a 
boy. This coarse and imperious creature was the only one 
who had any influence over Burker, and he gave her com- 


ON BOARD THE “ BOUNDARY . 


35 


plete control of his house. How often Jane had been 
stung by her servant’s domineering ways and utter want of 
respect, all of which met with her husband’s approval ! 
But she submitted to this slavery even as she did to her 
husband’s dominion. With a resignation, which was but 
weakness, she let things take their course, and No never 
even asked her advice about household matters. 

As Jane was going out, the woman told her not to fail to 
be home before noon as Len Burker would be back for 
dinner, and that he was on no account to be kept waiting. 
Besides, he had something very particular to say to Mrs. 
Branican — so No said. 

“ What is it about ? ” Dolly inquired of her cousin. 

“ How could I know ? Come away, Dolly ; come.” 

And the whole of the little party left the house on their 
way toward the quays, which they reached a few minutes 
later. 

The Boundary had just cleared quarantine but was not 
yet at her moorings alongside Andrew’s wharf. She was 
anchored out in the bay, about a cable’s length on the inside 
of Loma Point. Not for another two hours would the ship 
weigh anchor ; visitors had then to cross the bay in order 
to get on board, a trip of about a couple of miles, made twice 
every hour by little steamboats used for that very purpose. 

As soon as they arrived Dolly and Jane took their places 
on the steam launch along with a dozen other passengers. 
Most of them were friends or relations of the incoming 
crew, eager to get aboard as soon as the regulations would 
permit. The launch cast its moorings, and, getting clear of 
the landing stage, made its way obliquely across the bay, 
panting like a living thing with every puff of its engine. 

Basking in the light of a cloudless sky, the bay could be 
seen in its full extent, with the amphitheater of the houses 
of San Diego, the hill towering above the old town, the pass 
between Island and Loma Points, the immense Coronado 


3<S 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Hotel with its fine architecture, and the lighthouse which in 
the night time flashes its beams so far out at sea. 

There were a few vessels anchored here and there, that 
the steam launch had to steer clear of, at the same time 
looking out for boats coming in the opposite direction or 
again for the fishing smacks that were hugging the wind. 

Mrs. Branican was sitting next to Jane on one of the aft 
seats. Near her was the nurse with the baby in her arms. 
The child was not asleep ; his eyes were as though bathed 
in that flood of light to which the breeze seemed to impart 
life with its breath; and he would emerge from his apparent 
slumber whenever a seagull would utter its sharp cry as it 
flew over the boat. His mother was watching him with 
loving eyes as he lay there, the picture of infant health and 
bliss, stooping every now and then to kiss him. 

But Dolly’s attention was soon drawn away from him 
by the sight of the Boundary. 

No longer obstructed by the other vessels, the three- 
master could now be plainly seen at the end of the bay, 
flying its flags against the sunlit sky. It was swinging to 
the tide, its bows turned toward the west, the last waves of 
the tide breaking against its taut hawser. 

Dolly’s whole soul was concentrated in the glance of her 
eye. She was thinking of John, far away on the very sister- 
ship of this one, both owned by the same firm, both belong- 
ing to the same port, both constructed in the same ship- 
yard. 

And losing herself in the charm of her illusion, her “wish 
father to her thought,” Dolly yielded to the pleasurable 
fancy that John was there on the deck ; that he was wait- 
ing for her — that he held out his hand on seeing her — that 
she would be in his arms in a moment. His name came to 
her lips. She called him, and her own name uttered by 
him fell on her entranced ear. 

Then a little cry from her child called her back to reality. 


ON BOARD TtiE "BOUNDARY” 37 

It was the Boundary she was going to, not the Franklin far 
away, thousands of leagues from the American coast. 

“ The Franklin will be here some day, in this very same 
place ! ” she whispered to Mrs. Burker. 

“Certainly, Dolly dear,” replied Jane ; “and John will be 
aboard to greet us.” 

And though there was confidence on her lips as she spoke, 
her heart sank under the weight of a vague feeling of ap- 
prehension for the future. 

It took the steam launch a quarter of an hour to cover 
the two miles separating San Diego from Loma Point, 
where our friends and the rest of the passengers landed. 
They now had to make their way to the Boundary , which 
was about a cable’s length from the shore. 

It chanced just then that a boat, under the guard of two 
sailors belonging to the three-master, lay close to the land- 
ing-stage. Mrs. Branican gave her name and the men at 
once offered to bring her across to the ship. 

A few strokes of the oars were enough to bring them 
alongside, and Captain Ellis, having recognized his visitor, 
came to the side while she was going up the ladder fol- 
lowed by Jane and the nurse with her precious burden. 
The captain brought them on the poop, while the first mate 
began making preparations to bring the Boundary to her 
dock at San Diego. 

Mr. Ellis,” began Mrs. Branican, “ I was told that you 
met the Franklin .” 

“ Yes, madam,” replied the captain, “ and I can tell you 
she was getting on Ai, as I have already told Mr. 
Andrew.” 

“ You saw John ? ” 

“ Our two ships passed so close to each other that Cap- 
tain Branican and myself were able to exchange a few 
words.” 

“ So you saw him ! ” she repeated, as though, while talk- 


38 


MISTRESS ERA MICA JV. 


ing to herself, she endeavored to see in the captain’s eye a 
reflection of the Franklin. 

Mrs. Burker then asked a few questions to which Dolly 
listened attentively, although her eyes were turned toward 
the horizon beyond the entrance to the bay. 

“ On that day the weather was very favorable,” said the 
captain, “ and the Franklin was running with all her sails. 
Captain John was abaft, with his telescope in his hand. 
He had luffed a quarter so as to get near me, for I had not 
been able to alter my course, sailing as close as I could 
and hugging the wind so hard that I ran the risk of 
shivering my sails.” 

Mrs. Branican hardly understood the exact meaning of 
the seaman’s expressions. But what she did know was 
that the man now speaking in her hearing had seen John 
and that he had been able to speak with him. 

“ When we came abreast,” he added, “ your husband, Mrs. 
Branican, waved his hand to me shouting, ‘ All’s well, Ellis ! 
As soon as you get to San Diego, send word to my wife — to 
my darling Dolly ! ’ Then the two vessels passed on and a 
few minutes later were far away from each other.” 

“ And what day did you meet the Franklin ? ” 

“The 23d of March, at twenty-five minutes past eleven 
in the morning ! ” 

More details were asked, and the captain had to show on 
the map the exact spot where the meeting had taken place. 
It was in longitude 148° and latitude 20° that the Boundary 
had spoken to the Franklin, that is, at about 1700 miles from 
San Diego. If the weather continued favorable, — and there 
was every chance of its doing so, seeing they were in the 
fine season, — .Captain John would make a pleasant and quick 
passage across the North Pacific seas. And again, as he 
would find a cargo waiting for him at Calcutta, his stay in 
the Indian capital would be of short duration, after which 
he would immediately return to America. His absence 


ON BOARD THE “BOUNDARY." 39 

would therefore not exceed five or six months, as his em- 
ployers had already calculated. 

While Captain Ellis was answering, now the questions of 
Mrs. Burker, then those of Mrs. Branican, the latter, still 
carried away by her imagination, fancied she was on board 
the Franklin ! It was not Ellis, it was John who was telling 
her all this. It was his voice she thought she heard. 

Just then the mate came astern to tell the captain that 
all was nearly ready. The sailors on the forecastle were 
waiting but for the word to set the vessel free. 

Captain Ellis then offered to get his visitor rowed back 
to land unless she preferred to stay on board. In the lat- 
ter case she could cross the bay on the Boundary and land 
at the firm’s wharf. It would be a trip of about two hours. 

Mrs. Branican would have been very pleased to accept 
the captain’s offer, but she had to be back for dinner at 
twelve — the hour appointed by Len Burker. She knew that 
after what the colored servant had told her, Jane would 
like to be home in time. So she asked Captain Ellis to be 
kind enough to get them brought back to the shore so as 
not to miss the next home-bound steam launch. 

The necessary orders were given in consequence. The 
visitors took leave of the captain, after the latter had kissed 
little Wat’s chubby cheeks. Then going down in front of 
the nurse they took their seats in the little boat and a few 
minutes later reached the landing-stage,, 

While waiting the arrival of the steam launch, that had 
just left the pier at San Diego, Mrs. Branican watched the 
movements of the Boundary. Inspired by the rude song of 
the boatswain, the sailors were weighing anchor, while the 
mate was getting the main jib, foremast, and brigantine sails 
set. Under this canvas the three-master would easily make 
her way to the dock with the tide. 

Soon the steamer came alongside the pier. A few blows 
of the whistle were given to hurry up the passengers, and 


MISTRESS BkANlCAtf. 


two or three straggling late-comers were seen coming 
quickly up the rock in front of the Coronado Hotel. 

The steam launch was to stop but five minutes. Mrs. 
Branican, Jane Burker, and the nurse came on board and 
took their seats on a starboard bench, while the other pas- 
sengers — about twenty in all — kept pacing up and down 
the deck. One more steam whistle, the engine was set 
in motion, and the boat soon got away from the coast. 

It was only half-past eleven. Mrs. Branican would there- 
fore have plenty of time to get to Fleet Street, seeing that 
it only took them a quarter of an hour to cross the bay. 
As the boat got farther and farther away she still had her 
eyes riveted on the Boundary. The anchor weighed, the 
sails filled with the breeze and the vessel began to glide on 
her way. When she would be moored to the wharf at San 
Diego, Dolly could go and visit Captain Ellis as often as 
she wished. 

On sped the steam launch. The houses of the town 
began to look larger and larger on the picturesque amphi- 
theater of which they formed the different galleries. It 
was but a quarter of a mile more ere they would reach 
the pier. 

“ Look ahead, there ! ” shouted, just then, one of the 
sailors, who was in the bows. 

And he turned to the man at the wheel, who was standing 
on a little bridge irftfront of the funnel. 

On hearing the cry, Mrs. Branican looked toward the 
port, where a little maneuvering was going on which had also 
attracted the attention of the other passengers, most of 
whom now crowded about the forepart of the launch. 

A large brig-schooner, that had got clear of the vessels 
moored along the quays, was just preparing to leave the 
bay, her stem turned toward Island Point. She was helped 
in this movement by a tug which was to bring her out of the 
bay and they had already got up a certain speed. 



















Then the two Vessels passed on (/. 38). 













ON BOARD THE “BOUNDARY." 41 

Just then the schooner was right across the course 
of the steam launch, and so near was she, that in order 
to avoid a collision the latter would have to veer around 
her. This is what had made the sailor warn the man at 
the helm. 

A certain uneasiness seized the passengers — a feeling all 
the more natural as the port was quite encumbered with 
ships at anchor here and there. And with an instinctive 
movement all of them made a rush for the rear portion 
of the boat. 

The course to be pursued was self-evident : the launch 
should stand still and make room for the tug and the 
schooner, and should not resume her journey until they had 
passed. Some fishing smacks going with the wind rendered 
the steering still more difficult. 

“ Look out ! ” again cried the man on watch. 

“ Aye, aye ! ” answered the other. “No fear ! I’ve 
plenty of room ! ” 

But hindered by the sudden appearance of a large in- 
coming ocean steamer, the tug made a movement that no 
one expected, and came right back to larboard. 

Shouts were immediately raised, to which were added 
the cries of the schooner’s crew who were trying to help the 
tug by steering in the same direction as it was. 

There was hardly a distance of twenty feet, now, between 
the tug and the steam launch. 

Jane, very much frightened, had stood up. Mrs. Brani- 
can, with a mother’s instinct, had taken little Wat from his 
nurse’s arms and held him pressed to her bosom. 

“ Starboard ! To the starboard, there ! ” quickly called 
the captain of the tug to the man steering the launch, show- 
ing him, with his outstretched arm, the direction he wished 
him to take. 

The man had not lost his presence of mind ; and he gave 
the tiller a mighty swing around, so as to get clear of the 


42 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


tug, for the latter could not slacken speed for a moment as 
the schooner had already gained upon it and would inevi- 
tably have run it down. 

Obeying the sharp turn of her helm, the launch pitched 
heavily to starboard, and, as frequently happens in such 
circumstances, the passengers lost their equilibrium and 
were all thrown to this same side. 

More cries, this time cries of terror ; for it seemed but too 
probable the boat would capsize with this overweight on her 
starboard. 

At this moment, Mrs. Branican, who happened to be stand- 
ing next the rail, lost her footing and was thrown overboard 
with her child. 

The schooner was now sailing clear of the launch, and all 
danger of a collision was over. 

“ Dolly ! Dolly ! ” exclaimed Jane, who was caught by 
one of the passengers as she was falling. 

The next moment one of the sailors of the launch plunged 
in the direction where Mrs. Branican and the child had 
just disappeared. 

Dolly, kept afloat by her garments, was drifting on the 
surface, with little Wat still in her arms, when the seaman 
reached her. 

As the boat had been stopped immediately, it seemed it 
would prove an easy task for this strong swimmer to bring 
her back to safety. 

But just as he was about to grasp her by the waist, the 
arms of the unhappy woman opened, as she struggled for 
breath, and the baby, slipping from her hold, sank under 
the waves. 

By the time Mrs. Branican had been hoisted on deck, she 
was quite unconscious. 

Again this plucky sailor — a man about thirty years of 
age, named Zach Fren — leaped overboard and dived several 
times, searching the waters all around. It was in vain. 





ON BOARD THE “BOUNDARY." 43 

The child had evidently been carried off by an undercur- 
rent ; he was nowhere to be seen. 

Meanwhile the passengers were giving every care to the 
rescued mother. Jane and the' nurse, bewildered with 
excitement, were making every effort to bring her back to 
life. The steam launch waited until Zach Fren would give 
up all hope of finding little Wat. 

At last Dolly began to revive ; she muttered Wat’s name, 
her eyes opened, and her first cry was : 

“ My child ! ” 

The sailor had just come up for the last time. Wat was 
not in his arms. 

“ My child ! ” again cried Dolly. 

Then, springing to her feet, she pushed away the by- 
standers, ran aft of the deck, and made a desperate effort to 
throw herself into the sea. 

Tender hands held her back, and with convulsed features, 
and crisped fingers, she fell motionless on the deck. 

A few minutes later the boat reached her pier, and Mrs. 
Branican was carried to Jane’s house. Len Burker, who 
had just returned home, sent off the servant for a doctor. 

The doctor came almost immediately, and it was not with- 
out difficulty that Dolly recovered her senses. 

Whereupon, with a fixed stare, she exclaimed : 

“What is it? What has happened ? Ah! I know.” 

Then with a laugh : 

“It is my John ! He is coming back ! He is coming 
back to his wife and child ! John ! Here is my John ! ” 

Mrs. Branican was demented. 


44 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


CHAPTER V. 

THREE MONTHS PASS BY. 

H OW can we describe the effect produced on San Diego 
by this twofold catastrophe, the death of the child, the 
insanity of the mother ! The reader knows the feeling of 
friendship shown the Branican family by the population ; 
and the interest taken in the young captain of the Franklin. 
He had been gone hardly a fortnight and he was no longer 
a father, and his wife was insane. On his return to his 
empty home he would find neither little Wat’s bright 
smiles, nor the tender greeting of Dolly, who would not 
even be able to recognize him ! The day the Franklin 
would come into port, no popular demonstration would 
welcome her home. 

But they would not wait until John Branican’s return 
before acquainting him with the terrible misfortune that had 
befallen him. Mr. Andrew could not let him remain in 
ignorance of what had happened and run the risk of hear- 
ing the frightful news through some fortuitous channel. A 
telegram would be sent immediately to one of the agents of 
the firm at Singapore with orders to break the terrible truth 
to the captain even before he reached India. 

Still, Mr. Andrew would fain delay the sending of this 
telegram for a while. Dolly might not be hopelessly mad, 
after all. The care and attentions lavished upon her might 
restore her to herself. Why needlessly deal her husband a 
double blow if there was a chance of her regaining her 
reason shortly. 

After talking the matter over with Len and Jane Burker, 
Mr. Andrew decided to wait until the doctors would have 
given their decision on the state of Dolly’s mind. Do not 
these cases of sudden loss of mental power give more hope 
gf recovery than such as are due to a slow disorganization 






















































' 












































































































% 


# 





Len Burker makes 


a Suggestion (/. 45). 


% 







THREE MONTHS PASS BY. 45 

of intellectual activity ? They do, and it was better to wait 
a few days or even a few weeks. 

In the meantime the town was in a state of consternation. 
The flow of anxious callers in Fleet Street was incessant. 
Now and again minute searches had been made in the bay 
to find the body of the child, but they had led to no result. 
Seemingly it had been washed away by the tide. The poor 
little babe would not even have a grave over which his 
mother might come and pray, if she ever recovered her 
reason. 

In the first place the doctors were able to ascertain that 
Dolly’s insanity had taken the form of a quiet melancholy. 
No fits of hysterics, none of those unconscious outbreaks of 
violence which make it necessary to place patients in close 
confinement. No necessity, therefore, to take precautions 
against those excesses which make the poor stricken ones 
dangerous to others or to themselves. Dolly was now, to 
all appearance, a body without a soul, possessed of a brain 
in which there remained no recollection of that horrible 
catastrophe. Her eyes were dry and her gaze lifeless. It 
seemed as though she saw nothing, heard nothing. She 
was no longer a part of the moral world. She lived a mere 
material life. 

Such was Mrs. Branican’s condition during the month 
that followed the accident. The question of placing her in 
an asylum where special care should be given her was 
thoroughly studied. Mr. Andrew was in favor of such a 
course, and it would have been adopted, had not Len 
Burker made a suggestion which somewhat modified this 
plan. 

One day he came to Mr. Andrew and said : 

“ We are sure of it now, sir ; Dolly’s insanity is not of so 
dangerous a character as to necessitate her being shut up ; 
and as she has no other relatives than ourselves, we would 
like to keep her with us, Dolly was very fond of my wife ; 


4 6 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


and perhaps Jane’s tending would prove better for her than 
that of strangers. If, later on, she became troublesome, it 
would be time enough to act, and steps might be taken in 
consequence. What do you say, Mr. Andrew ? ” 

The worthy shipowner did not answer without a little 
hesitation, for he felt no sympathy for this man, although 
he knew nothing of his then highly compromised situation 
and had no reason to doubt his sincerity. After all, the two 
women’s mutual affection was genuine, and, since Mrs. 
Burker was her only relative, it was evidently better that 
Dolly should be under her care. The essential point was 
that the unfortunate sufferer should be constantly and 
lovingly receiving such tending as her state required. 

“ Since it is your wish to assume this task,” replied Mr. 
Andrew, “ I see no objection, sir ; your wife’s devoted 
attachment to Mrs. Branican is incontestable.” 

“And will never fail her ! ” added Burker. 

But even this was said in that cold, practical, and unpleas- 
ant manner which he was unable to throw off. 

“I quite approve the step you are taking,” continued Mr. 
Andrew. “ One single question, however : I am wondering 
whether your house in Fleet Street, in the center of the noisy 
traffic of the city, will be favorable to poor Dolly’s recovery. 
It is quietness she wants, and plenty of air.” 

“Just so,” replied Len ; “that is why we would propose 
to bring her back to Prospect House and to live there with 
her. The cottage is familiar to her, and perhaps the sight 
of the objects to which she was accustomed might have a 
beneficial effect on her mind. There she would be free 
from unwelcome visitors ; almost in the country, you might 
say. Jane would bring her to places she knew, and take 
her for the same walks as she used to have with her child. 
If John were here, would he not approve of my plan ? And 
what would he say, when he comes back, if he found his 
wife in a madhouse, in the care of paid attendants ? Mr. 


THREE MONTHS PASS BY. 


47 


Andrew, everything must be done to bring back a ray of 
light into our unfortunate relative’s mind ! ” 

This reply was no doubt given in all sincerity. But how 
was it that this man’s language always gave rise to mistrust? 
In any case, the suggestion, in the way he put it, was worth 
accepting ; and Mr. Andrew could but thank him for it, add- 
ing that Captain John would be deeply grateful to him. 

On the 27th of April, Mrs. Branican was taken to Pros- 
pect House, where Jane and Len Burker installed themselves 
the same day. And this move received general approba- 
tion. 

It is easy to see what motive Burker had in view. On the 
very day of the accident, it must be remembered, he wanted 
to see Dolly on important business. Now this “ business ” 
concerned a certain sum of money that he wished to borrow 
from her. But since then things had changed. It was 
probable that, being next of kin, he would be intrusted with 
the management of her affairs, as guardian ; and, as such, 
he would find available means, which, illegal though they 
should be, no doubt, would enable him to gain time. Jane 
had had a presentiment of this ; and happy as she was to be 
able to give herself up entirely to Dolly, she trembled at the 
thought of what her husband might do under cover of a 
philanthropic feeling. 

A new life was then inaugurated at Prospect House. 
Dolly was settled in the room out of which she had gone to 
meet with the dreadful calamity. But she who now returned 
to it was not the happy mother that had left it ; it was a 
senseless being. That well-beloved cottage, the drawing- 
room adorned with the photographs of the absent owner, 
the garden where he and she had spent such happy days to- 
gether, recalled nothing to her of times bygone. Jane oc- 
cupied the room next to hers, and Len Burker took posses- 
sion of John’s old study on the ground floor. 

From this time the mysterious speculator resumed his daily 


4 8 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AM. 


avocations. Each day he went down to San Diego, to his 
office in Fleet Street, where he kept up his old business. 
But what was remarkable was that he never failed to come 
back to Prospect House at night and that he only made 
short trips out of town. 

The negro woman had, of course, followed her master 
to his new home, where she would be what she had proved 
at all times and *under every circumstance, a creature in 
whom he could put implicit trust. Wat’s nurse had been 
sent away, although she would willingly have given her 
services to Mrs. Branican. As to the other servant, she was 
retained, at the cottage, for the present, to help No, who 
could not do all the housekeeping by herself. 

Besides, no one could have given Dolly such affection- 
ate and constant attention as did Jane. Her love for her 
had increased still more, were that possible, since the death 
of the child — a calamity of which she blamed herself for 
being the primary cause. If she had not come to Dolly 
with the news at Prospect House, if she had not suggested 
that ill-fated visit to the captain of the Boundary , the -child 
would still be with its mother, consoling her during her 
long hours of solitude. But for her, Dolly would not now 
be insane ! 

Doubtless it suited Burker’s plans that his cousin’s friends 
should be pleased with the treatment she received at Jane’s 
hands. Be it as it may, Mr. Andrew was compelled to 
acknowledge that the poor woman could not be under better 
care. During his visits he would carefully watch for any 
sign of improvement in Dolly’s health, still hoping that his 
first dispatch to Captain John, either at Singapore or in 
India, would not bear the news of a double misfortune — his 

child dead, his wife Was it not as though she too 

were dead ! Still, no ! He could not believe that Dolly, 
in all the strength of her youth, with such high spirits, so 
energetic a temperament, could have become hopelessly in- 




The Garden where John and she had spent such happy 
Days together (/. 47). 


THREE MONTHS PASS BY. 


49 


sane ! Was it not the case of a fire simply covered over 
with ashes ? Might not a single spark set it alight again ? 
Still, five weeks had gone by and no ray of light had 
brightened up her darkness ; and in the presence of this 
calm, passive cessation of brain activity, uninterrupted by 
any physiological over-excitement, the doctors did not 
seem to entertain the slightest hope, nor was it long ere 
they ceased their calls altogether. Mr. Andrew, even, 
giving up all hope of recovery, came but rarely to Pros- 
pect House, so painful was it for him to see this unfortunate 
being so indifferent and at the same time so unconscious. 

When, for some reason or another, Len Burker was 
obliged to be away for a day, the colored servant had 
orders to keep a close watch on Mrs. Branican. Without 
hindering Jane’s attendance in any way, she never left her 
by herself, and faithfully reported to her master any change 
she might have noticed in their patient’s behavior. She 
took special pains to turn away the few people who still 
came to make kindly inquiries at the chalet. It was against 
the doctor’s orders, she would say. Absolute quiet was re- 
quired. These disturbances might bring on some danger- 
ous fit. Mrs. Burker herself seconded No’s efforts in 
refusing admittance to strangers, and thus Dolly’s seclusion 
was becoming greater every day. 

“ Poor Dolly,” thought Jane, “if she got worse, if her 
insanity took a dangerous form, if she grew uncontrollable, 
they would take her away ; lock her up in an asylum. 
I might never see her again, perhaps. Oh, no ! God grant 
that she may be left with me ! Who could show her more 
affection than I ? ” 

During the third week in May, Jane thought of trying 
the effect of a little outing in the vicinity of the cottage, in 
the hope that it might benefit her dear invalid. Her hus- 
band made no objection save that No should accompany 
them. This seemed but prudent after all. The walk and 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


5 ° 

the fresh air might excite Dolly, might perhaps suggest to 
her the idea of running away, and Jane by herself would not 
have been able to prevent her. Almost anything might be 
apprehended from an insane woman — ideas of suicide even. 
They should not run the risk of another calamity. 

And so it was that several times Mrs. Branican went out 
leaning on Jane’s arm, allowing herself to be led like a 
passive being, going where she was brought, and taking no 
interest in anything around her. 

At first, although no incident occurred during these walks, 
the servant was not slow to notice a slight change in Dolly. 
Her usual quietness gave place to a visible emotion which 
might have serious consequences. Several times the sight 
of the children she met brought on a nervous attack. Was 
it the remembrance of the little one she had lost that was 
dawning upon her? Did little Wat come back to her mem- 
ory ? Whatever the cause might be, and even though this 
were a favorable symptom, the results were, each time, of a 
somewhat alarming character. 

One day, Mrs. Branican had been brought up to the top 
of Knob Hill. She was looking toward the horizon, but it 
seemed as if her mind was void of thought even as her 
glance was void of life. 

Suddenly her face brightened, she started, and, her eyes 
gleaming with a singular light, she stretched her trembling 
hand in the direction of a bright spot glistening out at sea. 

“ There ! There ! ” she cried. 

It was a sail, clearly visible against the sky, its whiteness 
glowing under the rays of the sun. 

“ There ! There ! ” she repeated. 

And the strange tone of her voice, did not seem to be 
that of a human voice. 

While Jane was anxiously watching her, No shook her 
head with a look of displeasure. Then, seizing Dolly by 
the arm, she asked her to come awav. 


THREE MONTHS PASS BY. 


51 


The poor woman did not even hear her. 

“ Come home, dear ; come along,” said Jane. 

And she tried to draw her away to turn her eyes from 
the sail on the horizon. 

Dolly did not move. 

“ No ! No ! ” she cried. 

And she pushed away the negro servant with a strength 
of which she would not have been thought capable. 

A terrible anxiety took possession of Mrs. Burker and her 
servant. What if Dolly should escape them ? What if, 
irresistibly drawn by that vision which brought John back 
to her memory, she should rush down the steep sides of 
Knob Hill and throw herself on to the wave-beaten shore. 

But suddenly this excitement ceased. The sun had dis- 
appeared behind a cloud and the sail was no longer visible 
on the ocean’s surface. 

Dolly had become her inert self again ; her eye had re- 
sumed its dullness and she was once more unconscious of 
what was going on around her. The sobs that had swelled 
her breast ceased, as though all life had been suddenly 
withdrawn from her. Jane now took her hand, and with- 
out any resistance she let herself be led away, and came 
quietly back to Prospect House. 

From that day forth, Len Burker insisted that Dolly 
should not leave the grounds of the cottage, and Jane had 
to comply with this injunction. 

It was about this time Mr. Andrew decided to communi- 
cate with Captain John, since his wife’s health now forbade 
all hope of recovery. The telegram would now be sent to 
Calcutta, as the Franklin must have left Singapore by this 
time, and John would get it on his reaching India. 

And still, although Mr. Andrew now despaired for Dolly, 
the doctors thought that perhaps a violent shock to her 
mental system might. have a beneficial result ; such a shock, 
for instance, as she would experience on the day when her 


52 


Mistress bra me am. 


husband would suddenly appear before her. In truth, this 
was the only remnant of hope left ; but small though it 
was, Mr. Andrew would fain take it into account ; and, 
after praying John not to give way to despair, he urged 
him to place the command of the Franklin with the mate, 
Harry Felton, and to come home by the shortest possible 
route himself. If necessary, this kindhearted man would 
have sacrificed his'dearest interests for the sake of making 
this last trial, and he told the young captain to wire his 
reply immediately. 

When Len Burker read this message, which William 
Andrew thought right to show him before sending it, he 
approved of the contents, although expressing a fear that 
John’s return might not produce the desired effect. Jane, 
on the contrary, heard of this scheme with delight. Yes, 
the sight of John might bring Dolly back to her senses ; 
and Burker promised to write to him with a view to hasten 
his returning — a promise, however, which he never kept. 

During the few weeks following, there was no change for 
the better in Mrs. Branican. Although her strength did 
not give way, and her health was all that could be wished 
for, the change in her appearance was but too visible. She 
was only in her twenty-first year, and yet her features were 
drawn and her fresh complexion had paled as though the 
fire of her soul had died within her. In truth, it was only 
at rare intervals that she could be seen, unless in the garden, 
sitting on a bench, or walking about with Jane, who waited 
upon her with untiring affection. 

By the beginning of the month of June, two and a half 
months had elapsed since the Franklin had left the port of 
San Diego. From the time of her meeting with the Bound- 
ary they had had no news of her. By this time, after having 
put into port at Singapore, she ought to be nearing Calcutta, 
unless detained by some improbable accident. No very 
great storms had been reported on the North Pacific or on 


THREE MONTHS PASS BY. 


53 


the Indian Ocean that could have in any way delayed a 
good sailing vessel. 

William Andrew was greatly surprised at this absence of 
accurate information. That an agent of his could fail to 
advise him of the arrival of the Franklin at Singapore he 
did not understand. As to supposing that the ship had not 
called there, it was out of the question, since Captain John 
had strict orders on that subject. In any case they would 
hear from him in a few days when he would reach Calcutta. 

A week passed. By the 15th of June no news had come 
yet. A telegram was then sent to the agent of the Andrew 
firm asking for immediate information about John Brani- 
can and his ship. 

The reply came two days later. 

Nothing was known of the ship at Calcutta. The Ameri- 
can three-master had not even been seen, up to the date 
mentioned, either on the Indian Ocean or in the Gulf 
of Bengal. 

Mr. Andrew’s surprise now changed to anxiety ; and, as 
it is impossible to keep the contents of a telegram secret, 
the news soon spread that the Franklin had not yet reached 
Calcutta, or even Singapore. Was another misfortune on 
the point of befalling the Branican family — a misfortune 
that would likewise strike all the families in San Diego to 
which the crew of the vessel belonged ! 

Len Burker was deeply moved when he heard this alarm- 
ing intelligence. Yet his affection for Captain John had 
never been very demonstrative, nor was he a man to be 
greatly moved by other people’s misfortunes, even when his 
own relatives were concerned ; be that as it may, from the 
day that the safety of the Franklin had to be put in doubt, 
he seemed more gloomy, more thoughtful, and more re- 
served than before — even in his business life. Rarely was 
he to be seen on the streets of San Diego, or at his office in 
Fleet Street, or anywhere but within the precincts of Pros- 




t 


54 


MISTRESS B RANI CAN. 


pect House. As to Jane, her pale face, tear-stained eyes, 
and downcast appearance bespoke the terrible heart’s trial 
she was enduring. 

It was about this time that a change was made at the 
cottage. Without any apparent reason, Burker sent 
away the servant who had been kept to help N6, although 
her conduct was irreproachable; and the colored woman now 
remained in charge of the household. With the exception 
of Jane and herself, no one was allowed near Mrs. Branican. 
As to Mr. Andrew, his health had been severely tried by 
all these occurrences and he was compelled to discontinue 
his visits to Prospect House. Indeed, now that the loss of 
the Franklin was almost a certainty, what could he have 
said, what could he have done? Besides, since she had 
ceased her walks out of doors, Dolly had grown calm again 
and her nervous attacks had disappeared. She was living 
now, vegetating rather, in that quiet, unconscious way, 
which was the peculiar character of her disorder, and her 
health required no special care. 

Toward the end of June, Mr. Andrew received another 
telegram from Calcutta. The shipping agents had not 
heard of the Franklin on any point along the course she 
ought to have followed across the seas of the Philippine and 
Celebes islands, the Java Sea or the Indian Ocean. Now, 
as she had been three months from San Diego, it was to be 
supposed tha^t'she had gone down with all on board, either 
by collision or shipwreck, before even reaching Singapore. 


CHAPTER VI. 

THE END OF A SAD YEAR. 

T HIS succession of sad events, to which the Branican 
family had fallen a victim, placed Len Burker in a 
position to which the reader’s attention should be seriously 
drawn. 


THE END OF A SAD YEAR. 


55 


It has not been forgotten that although Mrs. Branican’s 
pecuniary resources were at present very modest, she was 
the only heir to her uncle, Edward Starter. Still buried 
in his forest domain, exiled as it were in the most 
out of the way part of the State of Tennessee, this 
eccentric being had literally relieved himself of the 
trouble of giving signs of life to any one. As he was 
but fifty-nine years old, his fortune might not be available 
for a long time yet. 

Perhaps indeed Starter might have changed his mind, 
had he known that Mrs. Branican, the only direct relative 
left to him, had become insane on the death of her child. 
But he was in ignorance of this double misfortune, and he 
could not have heard about it, since he had quite as stub- 
bornly declined to receive letters as to write any himself. 
Of course, Burker could have broken this injunction, see- 
ing the change that had come over Dolly’s position ; and 
Jane had even hinted to him that it was his duty to acquaint 
Edward Starter ; but he silenced his wife, and took good 
care not to follow her advice. 

It was to his interest not to write, and he was not the 
man to hesitate, even for a moment, between his interest 
and his duty. His daily increasing financial embarrass- 
ments were far too great for him to throw away the only 
chance of a lucky stroke that the future seemed to have 
in store for him. 

•His plan was after all very simple : if Mrs. Branican 
died without leaving any children, her Cousin Jane was the 
only relative who could inherit her wealth. So, since little 
Wat’s death, Len Burker had been watching the growth of 
his wife’s claim to the Starter inheritance, that is to say, 
his own in reality. 

And in truth, were not things shaping themselves in such 
a way as to make him one day the possessor of this enor- 
mous fortune ? Not only was the child dead and Dolly in- 


56 


MISTRESS BRANICAM. 


sane, but according to the doctors her recovery could only 
be effected by the return of Captain John. 

And now the fate of the Franklin was despaired of. If 
nothing new turned up during the next few weeks, if John 
Branican was not spoken to at sea, if the Andrews did 
not hear of their vessel having put into some port or an- 
other, it would be a sure sign that neither the Franklin nor 
her crew would ever return to San Diego. Then the only 
obstacle between Len Burker and the inheritance would be 
poor demented Dolly. And, face to face with a desperate 
situation, what might not this unscrupulous man venture 
to do, as a last resource, when the death of Edward Starter 
would have put Dolly in possession of this immense wealth. 

On the other hand, it was evident that Mrs. Branican 
should survive her uncle in order to inherit his fortune. 
It was then to Burker’s interest that she should not die be- 
fore the money had become hers. He had now but two 
chances against him : her premature death, or the return 
of her husband, in the eveqt of his having been wrecked on 
some unknown island, and ultimately succeeding in mak- 
ing his way home. But this last eventuality was, to say 
the least, very unlikely, and the total loss of the ship should 
even now be looked upon as a certainty. 

Such was Len Burker’s present condition ; such were his 
future prospects, at the very time when he was being 
reduced to his last resources. For it were idle to ignore 
that if justice was called in to look into his affairs, he would 
have to answer an overwhelming charge of embezzlement. 
Part of the money that had been confided to his care by 
unsuspecting people, or that he had acquired by dishonest 
practices, was no longer in his safe. Complaints would 
surely be made against him, although he was now using the 
money of one man to pacify another. Such a state of 
things could not last. Ruin was staring him in the face, — 
worse than ruin, dishonor, — and, a something which was of 



.V 




SHE CRIED (/. 50) 


There 


I’HERE 











THE END OF A SAD YEAR. 57 

much more consequence to such a man, his arrest on the 
most serious charges. 

Mrs. Burker guessed, no doubt, that her husband’s posi- 
tion was in danger ; but she had no idea it was so serious 
as to threaten the interference of the law. Nor indeed 
had the pinch of straitened circumstances been very keenly 
felt yet at Prospect House. 

And this is why. 

Since Dolly had become irresponsible, a guardian had to 
be appointed for her in the absence of her husband. Len 
Burker, being related to her, had seemed naturally qualified 
for this post, and had in consequence assumed the complete 
administration of her means. The money left by Captain 
John for the requirements of the household, Burker had 
appropriated for his own use. It was not much, to be sure, 
as the cruise of the Franklin was not to have lasted more 
than five or six months ; but by carefully manipulating 
Dolly’s wedding portion of some two or three thousand 
dollars, and meting it out to his most exacting creditors, he 
could gain time, which was for him the chief consideration. 
And accordingly the dishonest fellow had freely turned his 
position of trust to his own advantage ; had used for his 
own purposes the property of the helpless one who was 
both his ward and his relative ; and, thanks to these ill- 
gotten means, he had been able to get a short respite and 
to dive into new schemes. Once on the road to crime, Len 
Burker would surely follow it to the end if necessary. 

Besides, his dread of Captain John’s return was losing 
ground every day. Weeks went by and the Andrew firm 
received no news of the Franklin ; nowhere had she been 
seen for the last six months. August and September came 
and went. Inquiries made both in Calcutta and Singapore 
had failed to give the least clew to the whereabouts of the 
missing three-master. 

Every hope was now abandoned, and all San Diego gave 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


58 

itself up to mourning. How had she gone down ? On this 
subject the feeling was unanimous, although nothing but 
conjectures could be indulged in. Since her departure 
several trading vessels, bound for the same port, had 
followed the course she must have taken. And, as they 
found no trace of her, there was but one very likely hy- 
pothesis to be made : she had been caught in one of those 
formidable hurricanes, one of those irresistible tornadoes, 
that rage about the Celebes or on the Java Sea, and had 
perished with all hands aboard. Not one man could have 
been saved. On the 15th of October, 1875, seven months 
had elapsed since she had left San Diego, and everything 
seemed to strengthen the belief that she would never return. 

So strong had this conviction now grown in the town 
that subscription lists had just been opened for the relief of 
the families so cruelly bereaved by the catastrophe. The 
crew of the Franklin , officers and men, belonged to this 
port, and help was needed for their wives, children, or rela- 
tives now without support. 

The Andrews headed the subscriptions with a consider- 
able sum. For his own interest, and as a matter of precau- 
tion as well, Len Burker also contributed to this charitable 
undertaking. The other business houses of the town, all 
the merchants and the storekeepers, followed the example. 
The result was that the families of the lost crew were to a 
great extent relieved in their distress, and the fatal con- 
sequences of the terrible disaster were proportionately 
alleviated. 

On the other hand, Mr. Andrew considered it his duty to 
provide for Mrs. Branican’s material wants. He was aware 
that before going away Captain John had left her sufficient 
resources for a period of six or seven months ; and calculat- 
ing that these funds should be well-nigh exhausted, and un- 
willing that Dolly should be a burden on her relatives, he 
resolved to go and see her cousin about it. 


THE END OF A SAD YEAR. 


59 


On the afternoon of the 17th of October, weak though he 
still was, the shipowner plodded his way through the upper 
town and on to Prospect House. 

On the outside, no change was visible, save perhaps that 
the shutters on the ground floor and on the first floor were 
hermetically closed. The house might have been unin- 
habited, so silent and mysterious did it look. 

Mr. Andrew rang at the gate in the garden fence. No- 
body answered. The visitor had been apparently neither 
seen nor heard. 

Was there no one at Prospect House just then ? 

A second ring of the bell was followed by the noise of a 
side door opening. 

The negro servant appeared, and on her recognizing Mr. 
Andrew, a movement of displeasure escaped her, which was, 
however, unobserved by the visitor. 

“ Is not Mrs. Branican at home ? ” inquired the latter, 
from over the railing, even before No had opened the gate. 

“ No, sir,” she answered, with a singular hesitation, visibly 
mingled with fear. 

“ Where is she ? ” asked Mr. Andrew. 

“ Gone for a walk with Mrs. Burker.” 

“ I thought these walks had been given up, as they ex- 
cited her and brought on fits?” 

“ Yes, that’s so,” replied N6. “ But these few days past 

she has gone out again. It seems to do her a little good.” 

“ I am sorry that I was not told about it. Is Mr. Burker 
in ? ” 

“ I don’t know.” 

“ Find out, please ; and if he is there, tell him I wish to 
see him.” 

Before the servant could reply — and perhaps she might 
have found considerable difficulty in doing so — the door on 
the ground floor opened. Len Burker came out and crossed 
the garden, saying : 


6o 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“Pray come in, Mr. Andrew. In the absence of Jane, 
who has gone out with Dolly, allow me to entertain 
you.” 

This was not said in that dry manner so usual with the 
speaker, but in a somewhat tremulous tone of voice. 

As it was purposely to see Burker that Mr. Andrew had 
come to Prospect House, he entered the garden. Then, 
declining an invitation to go into the drawing-room, he sat 
down on one of the garden seats. 

Burker, thereupon, went on to corroborate what his ser- 
vant had stated : for some days past, Mrs. Branican had 
been resuming her walks in the neighborhood of Prospect 
House, which certainly was very beneficial to her health. 

“ Will not Dolly return soon ? ” asked Mr. Andrew. 

“ I do not think Jane will bring her back before dinner 
time,” replied Burker. 

Mr. Andrew seemed greatly annoyed, as he had to be 
back at his office in time for his mail. Besides, he was not 
even asked to stay at the cottage until the ladies should 
come home. 

“ And you have not observed any improvement in Dolly’s 
condition, yet ? ” he continued. 

“Unfortunately, no, sir. I am afraid we have to deal 
with a case that no amount of time or care will ever get the , 
better of.” 

“ Who knows, Mr. Burker? What does not seem possible 
to man is always possible to God ! ” 

Burker shook his head incredulously, as one who had but 
little belief in the interference of Providence with the things 
of this world. 

“ And above all, what is most regrettable,” said Mr. 
Andrew, “ is that we are now forbidden to hope for Captain 
John’s return. We must therefore give up also those hopes 
for Dolly’s recovery which we had founded on the effect 
that his reappearance might have had upon her mind, You 



The News soon spread (/. 53) 







THE END OF A SAD YEAR . 61 

are, of course, aware, sir, that we have quite made up our 
minds on never seeing the Franklin again ? ” 

“ I am not unaware of it, Mr. Andrew, and it is one more 
misfortune added to so many others. And still, — even with- 
out the help of Providence,” he added with a tone of irony, 
rather inopportune at such a time, — “ to my mind, there 
would be nothing extraordinary in the return of Captain 
John.” 

“ What ! after seven months ! and when all the inquiries I 
have made have brought us no information whatever ! ” 
“But there is no proof that the Franklin went down in 
mid-ocean. Might she not have been wrecked on one of the 
numerous rocks along the course she followed ? Who knows 
but John and his men have been thrown on some desert 
island ? And if so, strong, resolute men as they are, they 
will eventually manage to escape. Might they not build 
a boat with the wreck of their ship ? Might not their 
signals be seen by a vessel passing within sight of the island ? 
Of course such eventualities as these would require a certain 
lapse of time. No, sir! I do not despair of seeing John 
again in a few months, if not in a few weeks. How many in- 
stances^are there not on record of shipwrecked seamen who 
were given up for lost and who turned up again after- 
ward against all expectation ! ” 

This time Len Burker had spoken with a volubility he 
rarely displayed. His usually impassive features had bright- 
ened up. It seemed as though while arguing in this way, and 
emphasizing the more or less flimsy evidence of the rescue of 
other mariners, he was arguing not with Mr. Andrew, but with 
his own self, with his own anxieties, with his own dread of 
ever seeing, if not the Franklin sailing into the harbor of San 
Diego, at least another ship bringinghome Captain John and 
his crew ; and this would have been the wreck of the plan 
on which he had based his future prosperity. 

“ Yes,” answered Mr. Andrew, “ I know all about that. 


6 2 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


I have heard of these almost miraculous escapes. All you 
have just told me, Mr. Burker, I have said to myself. But 
I find it impossible to keep up the least hope ! anyhow — 
and that is why I came to see you to-day, — I do not wish 
Dolly to live at your expense.” 

“ Oh ! sir ” 

“No, Mr. Burker; and you must allow Captain John’s 
salary to go to his wife, as long as she lives.” 

“ I thank you for her,” said the hypocrite. “ Such gen- 
erosity ” 

“ I am doing what I think is my duty. And as I suppose 
the money that John left before going away must be nearly 
gone.” 

“ No doubt, Mr. Andrew ; but Dolly has relations of her 
own, and it is our duty to come to her help ; indeed, were 
it but for love’s sake ” 

“ Yes, I know that Mrs. Burker’s devotion can be relied 
on. Nevertheless, allow me to participate, in this way, in 
securing for Captain John’s wife — his widow, perhaps— the 
comfort and care which I am sure she would never have 
failed to receive at your hands.” 

“ Let it be as you like, sir.” 

“ I have therefore brought you, Mr. Burker, what I con- 
sider to be the amount due to Captain Branican since the 
sailing of the Franklin; and in your capacity as guardian 
of his wife, you can henceforth draw his salary every month 
at my office. Now, if you would be so kind as to give me 
a receipt for the sum I bring you ” 

“ With pleasure, Mr. Andrew.” 

And Len Burker went to his room to make out the 
receipt in question. 

When he came back to the garden, Mr. Andrew, who was 
very sorry at not having seen Dolly, or being able to wait 
for her, thanked him for the kindness Jane and he had 
shown to their unfortunate relative. The old shipowner 







“Is not Mrs. Branican at Home?” ( p . 5 9). 





















THE END OF A SAD YEAR. 63 

reiterated his desire to be informed at once of the least 
change in her condition.; he then took his leave, was 
shown to the garden gate, and after waiting a moment to 
see if the two women might not be returning, he wended 
his way back to town. 

As soon as he was out of sight, Len Burker quickly called 
the colored woman. 

“ Does Jane know that Mr. Andrew has just been 
here?” 

“ Most likely, Len ; I guess she saw him coming and 
going away.” 

“ If he was to come back, — which is not likely, for some 
time at least, — he must on no account see Jane, or above all 
Dolly ? Do you hear, N6 ? ” 

“ I’ll see to that, Len.” 

“ And if Jane insisted ?” 

“Oh ! once you say a thing, Jane would not dare go 
against it.” 

“ Very well, but you must keep a good look out ! Chance 
might bring them together, and a meeting now might mean 
losing everything.” 

“ I am there,” answered the woman, “and you need have 
no fear, Len ! No one will come into Prospect House so 
long — well, so long as we don’t want them to ! ” 

And sure enough, during the next two months the house 
was more closely shut up than ever. Never were Jane and 
Dolly caught sight of in the little garden, or even on the 
veranda, or at the windows of the first floor, which were 
invariably closed. As to the servant, she only went out of 
doors for the needs of the household, for the shortest possi- 
ble time, and always when Len Burker was at home, so that 
Dolly was never alone with Jane. It could have been 
observed also that during the latter months of the year 
Len Burker rarely went to his office in Fleet Street. Weeks 
sometimes went by without his going {here, as though by 


6 4 


MI STRESS BRANICAN. 


decreasing his business he was preparing a new future for 
himself. 

In this manner the year 1875 wore away, a year marked 
with such fatal occurrences for the Branicans : John lost at 
sea, Dolly struck in her mental faculties, and their child 
drowned in the depths of the Bay of San Diego ! 


CHAPTER VII. 

MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS. 

N O news of the Franklin , during the first months of the 
year 1876. No trace of her passage across the Philip- 
pine, the Celebes, or Java seas. None, either, north of 
Australia. Indeed, what could have brought Captain John 
through the Torres Strait? Once only, north of the Sunda 
Islands, thirty miles from Batavia, a plank had been picked 
up by a federal schooner and brought to San Diego, on the 
assumption that it might belong to the missing ship. But 
after a minute examination this plank was shown to be of 
older wood than that used by her builders. 

Moreover, this fragment could only have been broken off 
if the vessel had struck on some rock or had met with a col- 
lision. Now, in the latter case the accident could not have 
been kept so secret but something would have been heard 
about it — unless both vessels had gone down after the 
shock. But as there was no other vessel reported as hav- 
ing been lost about the same period, the idea of a collision 
should be laid aside, as also the supposition of a wreck on 
the rocks. All surmises failed, save the simplest, viz., that 
the Franklin had gone down, as we have already said, in a 
Malay tornado. 

A year having now gone by since her disappearance, she 
was definitely placed in the category of ships lost, or pre- 


MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS. 65 

sumably lost ; a list, alas, so formidable in the annals of mari- 
time disasters. 

This winter — 1875-1876 — had been very severe, even in 
this fortunate region of Lower California, where the climate 
is generally moderate. With the excessive cold, which con- 
tinued until the end of February, nobody could be surprised 
at Mrs. Branican never leaving Prospect House, not even to 
enjoy a change of air in the garden. 

Carried on too far, this seclusion might in the long run 
seem strange to the people living in the neighborhood of the 
cottage. Still, it would be more natural for them to suppose 
that Mrs. Branican had grown worse, than to suspect Len 
Burker of having some interest in keeping her shut in from 
public view. So the word “ sequestration ” was not uttered. 
As to William Andrew, he was compelled to keep to his room 
the greater part of the winter. But, being impatient to see 
for himself how Dolly was getting on, he made up his mind 
to go to Prospect House as soon as he should be able to 
go out. 

Now from the first week in March, Mrs. Branican re- 
sumed her walks in the neighborhood of her home, accom- 
panied by Jane and their attendant. Some time after, Mr. 
Andrew was able to ascertain that the health of the young 
woman was in no danger. Physically she was as well as 
she could be. Mentally, it is true, no improvement was 
visible : absence of consciousness, of intelligence, of mem- 
ory, such was, still and ever, the one feature of her mental 
condition. During her walks, which might have brought 
back certain recollections to her mind, in the presence 
of the children she met on her way, or again when gazing 
on the sea enlivened with distant sails, Mrs. Branican 
no longer experienced that emotion which had once affected 
her so deeply. She made no attempt to run away ; safely 
indeed could she now be left with Jane ; all thought of 
resistance, all reactive impulse had gone ; she was living in 


66 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


the most absolute resignation, coupled with the most com- 
plete indifference. And when William Andrew saw Dolly 
again, he felt sure her case was incurable. 

By this time Len Burker’s situation had become unten- 
able. His ward’s money, which he had shamelessly appro- 
priated, had not proved sufficient to fill up the abyss he had 
dug beneath himself. The struggle would come to an 
abrupt end as soon as the supply would be exhausted. A 
few months more, perhaps only a few weeks, and he would 
be entangled in legal proceedings, the consequences of 
which he could not avoid but by leaving San Diego. 

One occurrence alone could save him still, and that 
seemed very unlikely to happen — in time, at least. If, on 
the one hand, Mrs. Branican was still alive, her uncle 
Edward Starter kept alive too, very much alive in fact. Not 
without unheard-of precautions, so as to preserve the utmost 
secrecy, Len Burker had managed to obtain some informa- 
tion about this Yankee, right away in Tennessee. 

Robust and vigorous, in the full enjoyment of his 
mental and physical faculties, barely in his sixtieth year, 
Starter lived in the open air, in the middle of the prairies 
and forests of that immense territory, spending his leisure 
time with hunting parties across a country which swarms 
with game, with fishing parties on the numerous rivers 
watering it, always rushing hither and thither, on foot or 
on horseback, seeing with his own eyes to all the details of 
his vast property. He was, in truth, one of those sturdy 
North American farmers who die only after a hundred 
years of age ; nor do people quite understand why they 
graciously condescend to die even then. 

For the immediate present, therefore, all thought of the 
inheritance was out of the question ; nay more, it looked 
uncommonly as though the uncle would outlive the niece. 
The hopes that Len Burker had built on this eventuality 
were visibly vanishing and before him stood the perspective 




A Bullet, glancing off a Tree, had 

Spot ( p . 71). 


KILLED HIM ON THE 



MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS. 67 

of the inevitable catastrophe which the death of the 
Tennessee settler could alone have prevented. 

Two months elapsed ; two months during which his posi- 
tion grew still worse. Alarming rumors were afloat con- 
cerning him both in San Diego and out of it. Loud threats 
were now uttered from people who could get nothing more 
from him. For the first time Mr. Andrew heard of the 
true state of things, and, deeply concerned on Mrs. Brani- 
can’s account, he resolved to compel her guardian to give 
an account of his trust. If necessary, Dolly’s interest should 
be placed in worthier hands, although Jane Burker’s affec- 
tion for her cousin placed her above any reproach. 

Now, by this time, two-thirds of Mrs. Branican’s fortune 
had been devoured, and Len Burker had but a few hundred 
dollars left of her money. In view of the number of credi- 
tors who were pressing him on all sides, this sum was like 
the veriest drop of water in the Bay of San Diego ! But 
what would have been insufficient for him to clear off his 
debts, would still prove a great boon if he decided to 
decamp in order to escape being arrested. And no time 
was to be lost. 

Sure enough, complaints were soon brought up against 
Len Burker — charges of swindling and wholesale embezzle- 
ment. Presently a warrant was issued for his arrest. But, 
when the police went to his office in Fleet Street, they 
found he had not been there since the day before. 

They thence proceeded to Prospect House. Len Burker 
had quitted the cottage during the night. Whether she willed 
it or not, he had obliged his wife to accompany him ; the 
colored servant alone had been left with Mrs. Branican. 

An active search for him was made in San Diego, then in 
San Francisco, and in various parts of the State of Cali- 
fornia ; it proved fruitless. 

As soon as the news spread about the town, a storm of 
indignation arose against the worthless broker, whose 


68 


MISTRESS B RANI CAN. 


deficit — as was soon ascertained — amounted to a very- 
large sum. 

On that day, the 17th of May, Mr. Andrew, having gone 
to Prospect House early in the morning, found that there 
was nothing remaining of Mrs. Branican’s property. Dolly 
was absolutely penniless. Her faithless guardian had not 
even left the wherewith to provide for her immediate wants. 

Mr. Andrew adopted the only plan he could follow under 
the circumstances : he placed Mrs. Branican in a private 
asylum, where she would be well looked after, and he dis- 
charged No, in whom he had no confidence. 

So, if Len Burker had hoped that the woman would be 
kept with Dolly, and that she would inform him of any 
change that might occur in her health or fortune, he was 
utterly disappointed. 

No was sent away from Prospect House on the very 
same day. Thinking that she probably would try to join 
the Burkers, the police watched her for some time. But the 
creature, as suspicious as she was cunning, outwitted the 
officers, and disappeared in her turn, without any one know- 
ing what had become of her. 

And now the cottage, where John and Dolly had lived so 
happily, and had made such dreams for the future of their 
child, was abandoned. 

It was to an asylum conducted by Dr. Brumley, who had 
already been attending her, that Mr. Andrew brought Dolly. 
Would the condition of her mind be benefited by this new 
change in the routine of her daily life ? It was hoped for in 
vain. She continued on, just as indifferent as she had been 
in Prospect House. Th.e only thing that seemed worthy of 
note was that a sort of natural instinct appeared to survive 
the wreck of her mental faculties. Now and then she would 
murmur a baby’s lullaby, as if trying to put a child asleep 
in her arms. But little Wat’s name never escaped her lips. 

Throughout the year 1876, not a word was heard of John 


MISCELLANEOUS E VENTS. 


69 


Branican. The few people who still believed that, although 
the Franklin might not come back, her captain and crew 
would perhaps return, had now to yield to the stern evidence 
of facts. Confidence cannot indefinitely withstand the de- 
structive action of time. So, the faint hope of the ship- 
wrecked men’s return, which had been daily growing less, 
vanished altogether with the end of the year 1877, when 
more than eighteen months had elapsed since the last piece 
of information had been received concerning the missing 
vessel. 

Not more successful were the inquiries made during that 
same period after the Burkers. Nobody knew to what 
country they had fled, or where they were hiding, doubtless 
under a false name. 

And, in truth, Len Burker would have had some show of 
cause to curse his bad luck in not being able to keep up his 
office in Fleet Street a little longer, hhd he known that two 
years after his disappearance the event on which he had 
built his plans for the future had taken place. It might 
indeed have been said of him that he had broken down 
within reach of the goal. 

Toward the middle of the month of June, 1878, William 
Andrew received a letter addressed to Dolly Branican, in- 
forming her of the unexpected death of Edward Starter. 
The Yankee had died through an accident. A bullet, shot 
by one of his hunting companions, had glanced off a tree, 
struck him in the heart, and killed him on the spot. 

On the will being opened, it was found that he left his 
whole fortune to his niece, Dolly Starter, the wife of Captain 
Branican. The present condition of his heiress could not 
have in any way altered his intentions, since he knew noth- 
ing of her ailment, any more than of Captain John’s pre- 
sumed loss. 

No tidings of these occurrences had ever penetrated his 
inaccessible and wild domain in Tennessee, where according 


70 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


to his orders no letters or newspapers ever found their 
way. 

In farm lands, forests, cattle, and industrial property of 
all kinds, the fortune of the deceased might be estimated at 
two million dollars. 

Such was the inheritance that the accidental death of 
Edward Starter had just left to his niece. With what joy 
San Diego would have applauded this godsend to the Brani- 
cans, if Dolly had been still a wife and a mother, in full pos- 
session of her reason ; if John had been there to share this 
wealth with her ! What good use this charitable woman 
would have made of it ! How many poor people she would 
have helped ! But no ! The interests of this wealth would 
be put aside year by year and would accumulate without 
benefiting anyone. Away in the hiding-place to which he 
had escaped, did Burker ever hear of Edward Starter’s 
death and the immense fortune he had left after him? No 
one could tell. 

Mr. Andrew deemed it best, in Dolly’s interest, to sell 
the Tennessee property, farms, forests, and grazing lands, 
which it would have been difficult to manage at such a dis- 
tance. Numbers of bidders were forthcoming, and the sale 
was advantageously effected. The produce of it, turned 
into stocks, was deposited, along with certain bonds 
also left by Starter, in the Consolidated National Bank of 
San Diego. Mrs. Branican’s expenses in Dr. Brumley’s 
establishment would only take up a very small part of the 
interests with which she would be yearly credited, and the 
accumulation of which would make her, ere long, one of the 
wealthiest capitalists in Lower California. 

Besides, in spite of this change in her pecuniary position, 
there was no question of removing her from Dr. Brumley’s 
care. Mr. Andrew did not think it necessary. This estab- 
lishment offered her every comfort and also every care that 
her friends could desire for her. So she remained there. 



Dr. Bromley accompanied her on the Beach (/. 72) 










































































































MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS. 


71 


and there she was fated to end that miserable and useless 
existence, for which such a golden future seemed to have 
been prepared. 

But although time went on, the remembrance of the trials 
of the Branican family was as vivid in San Diego, and the 
sympathy inspired by Dolly was as deep and sincere, as on 
the first fatal day. 

The year 1879 began, and all those who thought that, 
like its predecessors, it would fail to brin'g any change in the 
situation were greatly mistaken. 

As a matter of fact, from the beginning of the new year, 
Dr. Brumley and his assistant doctors were struck with a 
marked alteration in Mrs. Branican’s mental condition. 
That hopeless calm, that apathetic indifference, she had 
hitherto shown to every detail of life, gradually gave way to 
a characteristic excitement. Here were no fits, followed by 
a reaction which left the mind more utterly crushed than 
before. No ! It seemed as though she felt the need of re- 
possessing herself of her intellectual life ; as though her soul 
sought to break the fetters that prevented its outpour into 
the external world. On children who were placed before 
her she bestowed a kindly look, almost a smile. It has not 
been forgotten that at Prospect House during the first 
period of her insanity she had experienced this periodical 
sort of instinct, which, however, died away, when the 
nervous crisis had passed. Now, on the contrary, 
these impressions showed a tendency to be lasting. 
Dolly seemed like one who questions herself, and who 
tries to evoke distant recollections from the depths of 
her memory. 

Was Mrs. Branican 01} the eve of recovering her senses ? 
Was it a work of regeneration that was going on in her ? 
Would the full extent of her mental activity be restored to 
her? Alas ! Now that she no longer had her husband or 
her child, was this recovery, one might say this miracle, to 



? 2 MISTRESS BRANlCAtf. 

be wished for, seeing that it could only make her the more 
unhappy. 

Whether desirable or not, the doctors saw the possibility 
of obtaining that result. Everything was done to produce 
lasting and beneficial impressions on Mrs. Branican’s mind 
and heart. It was thought advisable to take her from Dr. 
Brumley’s and bring her back to Prospect House, to re- 
instate her in her own room in the cottage. And when this 
was done, she certainly showed she was conscious of the 
change that had been made ; she seemed to take pleasure 
in finding herself in these new quarters. 

With the first days of spring — it was then April — the 
outings in the environs were again resumed. She was taken 
several times to the beach on Island Point. The few ships 
that passed in the offing she followed with her eyes, and 
she stretched her hand toward the horizon. But she no 
longer tried to run away as before or to escape from Dr. 
Brumley, who accompanied her. She was not frightened 
by the angry waves, splashing the beach with their spray. 
Was one justified' in the belief that at those times her imagi- 
nation carried her away on the course taken by the Frank - 
lin on leaving the port of San Diego, at the time when her 
tall sails were disappearing behind yonder high cliffs ? Yes, 
perhaps so. For, one day, her lips distinctly murmured, 
“ John ! ” 

It was evident that her malady had just entered a period, 
the different phases of which should be studied carefully. 
Little by little, as she grew accustomed to live at the cot- 
tage, she recognized, here and there, little objects she once 
held dear. Her memory commenced to revive amid those 
surroundings that had been so long her own. A picture of 
Captain John, hanging on the wall in her room, began to 
attract her attention. Every day she looked at it more 
steadily, and a tear — a still unconscious tear — would some- 
times fall from her eye. 


MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS. 


73 


Yes ! Were not the loss of the Franklin now a certainty, 
could John have been on his way home, had he suddenly 
appeared before her, Dolly would perhaps have recovered 
her reason ! But the "Captain's return was no longer to be 
hoped for ! 

That is why Dr. Brumley resolved to produce on the 
poor woman a shock which would certainly not be free from 
all element of danger. He determined to act before the 
improvement, noticed in her mental condition, should per- 
haps die away ; before she should fall back again into that 
state of indifference which had been the characteristic fea- 
ture in her case for the last four years. Since her soul 
seemed to vibrate still to the memories of the past, one 
supreme vibration should be impressed upon it, were the 
chord to snap forever. Yes ! Anything rather than let 
Dolly go back to that unconscious life which was but 
another kind of death ! 

Such, likewise, was the opinion of William Andrew, and 
he encouraged Dr. Brumley to try this ordeal. 

One day, the 27th of May, both of them came for her to 
Prospect House. A carriage that was in waiting at the 
door brought them across the town, down to the quays, and 
drew up at the pier where the steam launch was in readiness 
to take passengers for Loma Point. 

Dr. Brumley’s intention was not to rehearse the whole 
scene of the catastrophe, but to place Dolly in the same 
circumstances as when she had been so suddenly deprived 
of her reason. 

Just now, Dolly’s countenance brightened with an extra- 
ordinary glow. She was a prey to a singular animation. 
There was a convulsion stirring up her whole being. 

Dr. Brumley and Mr. Andrew conducted her toward the 
steam launch ; and she had scarcely put her foot on board, 
when they were still more surprised at her attitude. In- 
stinctively she went and took the seat she occupied on th§ 


74 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


corner of the starboard bench, when she held her child in 
her arms. Then she turned her head toward the end of 
the bay in the direction of Loma Point, as though looking 
for the Boundary at anchor. 

The passengers on board had recognized Mrs. Branican, 
and Mr. Andrew having told them of the experiment about 
to be attempted, all were under the sway of a deep emotion. 
Would they be witnesses to a scene of resurrection — not the 
resurrection of a body, but that of a soul ? 

Needless to add that every precaution had been taken 
lest, in a movement of frenzy, Dolly should have attempted 
to throw herself overboard. 

They had already gone half a mile, and Dolly’s eyes had 
not yet rested on the surface of the water. They were 
always looking in the direction of Loma Point, and when, 
at last, they turned away, it was to watch a trading vessel, 
under full sail, that had just appeared at the mouth of the 
harbor, and was going to take its place in quarantine. 

A transformation passed over Dolly’s face. She stood 
up, still watching the vessel. 

It was not the Franklin , nor did she think it was ; but 
shaking her head, she said : 

“John! My John! You, too, will be coming back soon, 
and I will be there to meet you ! ” 

Then suddenly her gaze seemed to search the waters of 
this bay, that she had just recognized. A heartrending cry 
burst from her lips, and turning toward William Andrew : 

“ Mr. Andrew — you ” said she, “ and him — my little 

Wat — my child — my poor baby ! There — there — I remem- 
ber now ! I remember now ! ” 

And she fell on her knees on the deck of the boat, her 
face bathed with tears. 




■ M 




On the steam Launch to Loma Point (/. 73) 



A HARD TASK. 


75 


CHAPTER VIII. 

A HARD TASK. 

M RS. BRANICAN’S recovery was like the return to 
life of a dead woman. Since she had survived the 
recollection of that scene, since that flash of memory had 
not killed her, could they, dared they, hope that this resur- 
rection would be a definite one ? Would not her mind give 
way a second time when she would be told that the Fra?iklin 
had not been heard of for four years, that the vessel was 
considered as lost with all on board, and that she would 
never see Captain John again? 

Dolly, entirely Crushed with this violent emotion, had 
been immediately brought back to Prospect House. Neither 
Mr. Andrew nor Dr. Brumley had left her, and both from 
them and from the nurses engaged to attend upon her she 
received all the care her condition required. 

But the shock had been so severe that a violent fever 
ensued. There were even a few days of delirium which 
gave the doctors great anxiety, although Dolly was now in 
full possession of her intellectual faculties. 

When the time came for her to be told the full extent of 
her misfortune, what precautions would have to be taken ! 

And the first time that Dolly asked how long she had 
been insane : 

“ Two months,” instantly replied Dr. Brumley, who was 
evidently prepared for the question. 

“ Two months — only ! ” she murmured. And it seemed 
to her it must have been an age. 

“ Two months ! ” she added. “ John cannot be back 
yet, then, since he has only been away two months ! And 

does he know that our poor little child ” 

“ Mr. Andrew wrote,” replied the doctor, without hesi- 
tation. 


7 6 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ And has any news of the Franklin arrived ? ” 

Reply was made that no doubt Captain John had written 
from Singapore, but that his letters could not have arrived 
yet. Anyway, judging from maritime intelligence, it was 
believed the Franklin would not be long before reaching 
India. Telegrams were expected in a few days. 

Then Dolly having asked why Jane Burker was not with 
her, the doctor said that Mr. and Mrs. Burker were away 
traveling, and that the exact date of their return was not 
yet known. 

The task of acquainting her with the catastrophe of the 
Franklin devolved on William Andrew. But it was agreed 
that she should not be told until her mind was sufficiently 
strong to bear this new blow. Nor would he let her know, 
but one by one, such items as would gradually lead her to 
the conclusion that not a soul had survived the wreck. 

The knowledge of the fortune she had acquired by the 
death of Edward Starter was likewise held back from her. 
It would always be time enough for her to be told of her 
wealth, seeing that her husband could no longer share it 
with her. 

During the ensuing fortnight she had no communica- 
tion with the outside world. Mr. Andrew and Dr. Brum- 
ley were the only persons who came to see her. Her fever, 
very violent at the beginning, began to abate, and would 
soon, no doubt, vanish altogether. It was as much for the 
sake of her health, as to save himself the answering of very 
embarrassing questions, that Dr. Brumley had enjoined his 
patient not to talk. Above all, no allusion to the past was 
ever made in her presence, no remark that would let her 
see that four years had elapsed since the death of her child, 
since Captain John’s departure. For some time to come 
it was all-important that the year 1879 should appear to 
her as the year 1875. 

Meanwhile, Dolly had but one wish, or rather a very nat- 


A HA$D TASK . 


77 


ural longing — getting her first letter from John. She cal- 
culated that as the Franklin was nearing Calcutta, if indeed 
she had not already arrived there, the Andrew firm would 
very shortly receive news of the arrival by telegram; the 
trans-oceanic mail would soon follow ; then, the first day 
she would be strong enough, she too would write to John. 
Alas ! what would she say in that letter, — her first letter to 
him since their marriage, — seeing they had never been away 
from each other until the sailing of the Franklin ? Yes! 
what sad things this first letter would contain ! 

Then looking back into the past, Dolly blamed herself 
for being the cause of her child’s death ! That unlucky 
31st day of March came back to her mind ! If she had only 
left little Wat at Prospect House, he would still be alive ! 
Why had she taken him on that visit to the Boundary? 
Why did she refuse Captain Ellis’s offer when he proposed 
that she should remain on board until the vessel arrived at 
its dock in San Diego ? The terrible misfortune would not 
have happened ! And why, too, with thoughtless impulse, 
had she snatched the child from its nurse’s arms at the 
time when the boat turned sharply to avoid a collision ? 
She had fallen overboard, and little Wat had slipped from 
her, — from her, his mother, — and she had not even the in- 
stinct to clutch him with a convulsive grasp. And when 
the sailor brought her back on board, the baby was no 
longer in her arms ! Poor child, who had not even a grave 
over which his mother could go and weep ! 

These visions, summoned too vividly before Dolly’s mind, 
prevented her obtaining the rest that was so necessary to 
her. Several times, violent fits of delirium, due to a return 
of the fever, greatly alarmed Dr. Brumley. Fortunately, 
these attacks became weaker, fewer, and at last left her 
altogether. All danger was now over ; the time was fast 
approaching when Mr. Andrew could tell her all. 

As soon as she had entered her period of convalescence, 


78 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


permission was given her to leave her bed. She was 
placed in an invalid chair close to the windows of her 
room, from which she could see the bay of San Diego, and 
away as far as the horizon beyond Loma Point. There she 
would sit for hours together without moving. 

Then she should write to John ; she felt the need of 
speaking to him about the child he would never see again, 
and she poured out all her sorrow into a letter that John 
was never to receive. 

Mr. Andrew took the missive, promising to inclose it 
with his mail for India; and, that being done, she became 
calmer, living in the hope of getting direct or indirect 
information about the Franklin. 

This state of things, however, could not last. Dolly 
would evidently learn, sooner or later, what was hidden 
from her — by excess of prudence, perhaps. The more she 
concentrated herself in the thought that she would soon 
get a letter from John, every day bringing the date of 
his supposed return nearer, the more terrible the blow 
would be ! 

And this was shown but too plainly after an interview 
she had with Mr. Andrew on the 19th of June. 

For the first time Dolly had gone down to her little 
garden, where the old shipowner found her seated on a 
bench in front *of the porch of the cottage. He sat 
down beside her, and, taking both her hands, shook them 
affectionately. 

Now, in the last stage of her convalescence, she already 
felt strong. Her face had regained its former complexion, 
although her eyes were scarcely ever tearless. 

“ I see you are improving rapidly, my dear Dolly,” said 
Mr. Andrew. “ Yes, you are much better ! ” 

“No doubt, sir,” answered Dolly, “but I seem to have 
grown so much older during those two months ! How 
changed my poor John will find me on his return ! And 


A HARD TASK. 79 

then I will be alone to receive him. He will find no one 
but me.” 

“ Cheer up, my poor Dolly ; cheer up ! I forbid 
you to give way in that manner. I am now your 
father — yes, your father ! — and you must comply with 
my wishes !” 

“ Dear Mr. Andrew ! ” 

“ There, that’s right ! ” 

“ The letter I wrote to John has gone, has it not ? ” 

“ I suppose so — and now you must wait patiently for the 
answer ! There are great delays sometimes in the mail 
from India ! There, you are crying again ! I pray you, 
do cease crying.” 

“ How can I help it, Mr. Andrew, when I think — and am 
I not the cause of it all, myself ?” 

“ No, you, poor mother, you the cause of it, no ! God 
has sorely tried you — but he has ordered that the bitterest 
grief shall have an end ! ” 

“ God ! ” she murmured, “ God who will send my John 
back to me ! ” 

“ My dear Dolly, has the doctor seen you to-day ?” 

“ Yes, he seemed to think I am improving. I am gaining 
strength, and soon I will be able to go out.” 

“ Not before he gives you leave, Dolly ! ” 

“ No, sir ; I promise you not to do anything rash.” 

“ And I rely on your promise.” 

“ You have not heard anything about the Franklin yet, 
Mr. Andrew ?” 

“ No, and I can hardly be surprised ? Ships sometimes 
take a very long time to go to India.” 

“I thought John might have written from Singapore? 
Did he not call there ? ” 

“ Very probably, Dolly ! But were he to miss the mail 
by a few hours only, it would be enough to delay his letters 
a fortnight,” 


8o 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ So you are not surprised that John has not been able 
to write to you yet ?” 

“ By no means,” replied the old gentleman, beginning to 
feel the conversation painfully embarrassing. 

“ And the shipping newspapers have not mentioned his 
passage ? ” she queried. 

“ Not since he was met by the Boundary about ” 

“ Yes, about two months ago, and, oh ! why did that meet- 
ing take place ! I would not then have gone on board the 
Boundary , and my child ” 

The countenance of the bereaved mother had changed, 
and tears fell fast from her eyes. 

“ Dolly, my dear Dolly,” said Mr. Andrew, “ do not 
grieve so ; I entreat you, do not ! ” 

“ Ah ! Mr. Andrew I know not how — a kind of presenti- 
ment comes over me sometimes. I can’t explain it. It 
seems as though some new misfortune — I am indeed 
anxious about John ! ” 

“ But you must not be, Dolly ! You have no cause to be 
anxious.” 

“ Mr. Andrew,” interrupted Mrs. Branican, “ could you not 
send me some of your papers, with shipping news in them. 
I would like to read them.” 

“ Of course I will, Dolly. Besides, if anything was heard 
of the Franklin , whether she had been spoken at sea or 
her arrival in India had been signaled, I would be the first 
to know of it, and immediately ” 

But it became urgent to give a turn to the conver- 
sation. Mrs. Branican would soon notice the hesitation 
with which William Andrew answered her, and the 
instinctive lowering of his eyes whenever she questioned 
him too pointedly. So the worthy shipowner was 
about to tell her for the first time of the death of 
Edward Starter, and the immense fortune he had left 
his niece, when she asked : 


* 

















































% 













































































































































































* 










































I 






















She knelt in an out-of-the-way Corner (/. 88) 






A HARD TASK . 8r 

‘‘Jane Burker and her husband are away, I am told! 
When did they leave San Diego ? ” 

“ About two or three weeks ago.” 

“And won’t they soon be coming back ?” 

“ I don’t know,” replied Mr. Andrew. “ We have not 
heard from them.” 

“ And does not anyone know where they went ? ” 

“ No one, my dear Dolly. Len Burker was engaged in 
very important, very risky transactions. He may have been 
called away — perhaps very far.” 

“ And Jane ? ” 

“ Mrs. Burker had to go with her husband — and I really 
could not explain what happened.” 

“Poor Jane ! ” sighed Mrs. Branican. “ I am very fond 
of her, and I will be pleased to see her again. After all, is 
she not the only relation left me now ! ” 

Not a thought did she cast on Edward Starter or the 
family bond that existed between them. 

“How is it that Jane never wrote to me, even ?” she 
remarked. 

“ My dear Dolly, when Mr. Burker and his wife left San 
Diego you were already very bad.” 

“ Sure enough ; and what was the use of writing to one 
who could not understand ! Dear Jane, she is to be pitied 
so ! She must have had a hard life ! I was always afraid 
that Len Burker would run into some speculation that 
would turn out badly ! Perhaps John thought so 
too ! ” 

“ For all that,” replied Mr. Andrew, “ nobody thought it 
would end so badly.” 

“ Then it was through unsuccessful speculations that Len 
Burker was obliged to leave San Diego ? ” was the sharp 
inquiry. 

And Dolly’s eye was fixed on Mr. Andrew, whose em- 
barrassment was but too visible. 


82 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ Mr. Andrew,” she added, “ speak out ! Do not hide 
anything from me. I want to know all.” 

“ Well, then, Dolly, I have no wish to conceal a thing 
that you would find out yourself. Yes, of late Burker’s 
situation got worse. He could not fulfill his engagements. 
Complaints were made against him, and, threatened with 
being arrested, he ran away.” 

“ And Jane followed him ?” 

“ He very probably obliged her to do so ; you know that 
in his presence she had no will of her own.” 

“Poor Jane! Poor Jane!” murmured Mrs. Branican. 
“ How I pity her ; ah, if I had only been able to come to 
her help ! ” 

“ You could have done so. Yes, you could have saved 
Len Burker ; not for his sake, for he deserved no sympathy, 
but for the sake of his wife.” 

“And I am sure John would have been pleased with the 
use I should have made of our modest means.” 

Mr. Andrew took good care not to tell her that 
her dowry had all been squandered by the runaway. 
This would have revealed to her that she had had a 
guardian, and she might have wondered how in so 
short a time — scarcely two months — so many things had 
happened. 

So he simply answered : 

“ Do not speak of your modest position any more, my 
dear Dolly. Things are changed now.” 

“ What do you mean, sir ? ” she asked. 

“ I mean that you are rich — immensely rich.” 

“I?” 

“Your uncle, Edward Starter, is dead.” 

“ Dead ! He is dead ! Since when?” 

“ Since ” 

This time Mr. Andrew well-nigh betrayed himself by 
giving the exact date of Edward Starter’s death, an event 


A HARD TASK . 83 

now two years old, which would have disclosed the whole 
truth. 

But Dolly was absorbed in the thought that her uncle’s 
death and her cousin’s disappearance left her without a 
single relative. And when she learnt that through this 
uncle, whom she hardly ever knew, and whose inheritance 
had never appeared to John and herself but a possible 
eventuality in the distant future, her fortune now amounted 
to two million dollars, she thought but of the good she 
might have done with it. 

“ Yes, Mr. Andrew,” said she, “ I would have come to 
poor Jane’s help. I would have saved her from ruin and 
shame. Where is she ? Where can she be ? What will 
become of her ? ” 

Mr. Andrew had then to tell her how inquiries made after 
Len Burker had thus far led to no result. Had he taken 
refuge in some remote part of the United States, or, more 
probably, had he been obliged to leave America altogether? 
It had been impossible to ascertain. 

“ And still, if they have been only a few weeks gone from 
San Diego,” she observed, “ perhaps we will hear.” 

“ Yes — a few weeks ago only,” he hastened to add. 

Fortunately another consideration now engrossed his 
questioner’s attention : now, thanks to Uncle Starter’s for- 
tune, John would not have to travel any more. He would 
never leave her again, and this present voyage on board 
the Franklin would be his last. 

Alas, was it not in truth his last, since Captain John was 
not expected to return. 

“ No, sir,” cried Dolly, “ once John comes home, he will 
never go to sea again ! He will have to give up his sea- 
faring life for me ! We will live together, always together ! 
Nothing will ever part us again ! ” 

At the thought that all this happiness would be crushed 
with a single word, — a word that would soon have to be 


8 4 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


spoken, — Mr. Andrew felt his heart sink within him. He 
hastened to bring this conversation to a close ; but before 
taking leave, he obtained Mrs. Branican’s promise that she 
would not commit any imprudent act, venture out of doors, 
or resume the routine of her former everyday life until the 
doctor had allowed her to do so. On his part he was made 
to repeat that if any tidings whatever reached him concern- 
ing the Franklin , he would immediately send up to Prospect 
House. 

When William Andrew went over this interview to Dr. 
Brumley, the latter did not conceal his fear that some chance 
indiscretion might reveal the truth to Mrs. Branican : that 
she had been insane for four years, that during those four 
years nothing had been heard of the Franklin , and that she 
would never see John again. Yes, it were better Dolly 
should hear all this either through Mr. Andrew or himself, 
and with the greatest precautions. 

It was therefore agreed that in a week’s time, when all 
plausible excuse for forbidding her to leave the cottage 
would cease, she should be told everything. 

“ May God give her strength to endure this blow,” said 
Mr. Andrew. 

During the last week in June, Mrs. Branican’s life at 
Prospect House continued its usual run. Thanks to the 
care with which she was surrounded, she was gaining phys- 
ical strength at the same time as mental energy. And Mr. 
Andrew grew more and more embarrassed when Dolly plied 
him with questions to which he pould give no direct answer. 

On the afternoon of the 23d, he went to see her, to place 
a certain sum of money in her hands, as well as to give her 
an account of the fortune, which he had deposited in her 
name, in the Consolidated National Bank. 

On that day Mrs. Branican appeared to take very little 
interest in what Mr. Andrew was telling her. She scarcely 
listened to him. She spoke but of John, and thought but 


A HARD TASK. 


*5 

of him. What ! no letter yet ! How perplexing ! How 
was it that the firm had not even received a telegram an- 
nouncing the arrival of the Franklin in India? 

The shipowner tried to calm Dolly by telling her that he 
had just sent off some telegrams to Calcutta, and that from 
one day to another he would have the reply. But if he suc- 
ceeded at last in turning her thoughts away from India, 
she almost unmanned him with her next inquiry : 

“Mr. Andrew, there is a man that I have not spoken to 
you about yet. The man who saved me and who failed to 
save my darling child. That seaman ” 

“ That seaman ? ” repeated Mr. Andrew, in a faltering 
tone. 

“ Yes, that brave man to whom I owe my life. Has he 
been rewarded ? ” 

“ Of course he has, Dolly ! ” 

And in truth he had been. 

“ Is he in San Diego ? 

“ No, my dear Dolly ; no ! I heard that he had gone to 
sea again.” 

Which was quite true. The sailor had taken a change 
from “longshore work,” had made several voyages on trad- 
ing vessels and was at this time away on the ocean. 

w But you can surely tell me his name ? ” 

“ His name is Zach Fren.” 

“ Zach Fren ! Very well. Thank you, Mr. Andrew ! ” 
said Dolly. 

And she asked nothing more about the sailor, now that 
she had ascertained his name. 

But from that day Zach Fren did not leave her mind. 
He was henceforth indissolubly coupled in her thoughts 
with the recollection of the frightful catastrophe in the Bay 
of San Diego. She would find out this Zach Fren on his 
return from sea. He had started only a few weeks ago. 
She would learn on what ship he had embarked — no doubt 


86 


MISTRESS BRANICAF. 


a vessel belonging to the port — and the vessel would return 
again in six months — a year — and then — of course, the 
Franklin would reach home before then. John and herself 
would be so happy to reward Zach Fren — to pay him their 
debt of gratitude. Yes ! John could not tarry long now to 
bring home the Franklin , and he would resign his command, 
and they would not leave each other again ! 

“And when he does come back,” she thought, “oh, why 
must our kisses be mingled with tears ! ” 


CHAPTER IX. 

DISCOVERIES ! 

M EANWHILE Mr. Andrew wished for, and* yet dreaded, 
that interview in which Mrs. Branican was to hear of 
the presumed wreck of the Franklin , the loss of her crew 
and of her captain — a loss which no longer excited any 
doubt in San Diego. Would Dolly’s already shattered 
mind stand this new trial ? Even though four years had 
elapsed since John’s departure, it would be for her as though 
his death had occurred but the day before ! Time, that 
had soothed since then so many human sorrows, had stood 
still for her ! 

So long as she should remain at Prospect House, there 
was no fear of her hearing of anything. Mr. Andrew and 
Dr. Brumley had taken their precautions in that respect, 
and had so arranged that no letters or newspapers should 
ever be delivered at the cottage. But Dolly was now strong 
enough to go out, and although the doctor had not yet given 
her his authority to do so, might she not leave Prospect 
House without saying anything about it? It was urgent, 
therefore, to hesitate no longer ; and, as it had been agreed, 
Dolly should soon be told that she must not reckon on 
seeing the Franklin again. 


DISCO VERIES ! 


87 


Now, it so happened that after her conversation with Mr. 
Andrew, she had made up her mind to go out, without letting 
her maids know, as they would have done all in their power 
to dissuade her. 

And the motive of this outing was a search after her 
rescuer, Zach Fren ! 

Since the day she had learnt the seaman’s name, she had 
been persistently beset by one thought. 

“He was looked after,” she repeated to herself. “Of 
course he was. A little money was no doubt given him, 
and without my being able to see to it. And then he 
went away, say five or six weeks ago. But most likely he 
has a family, a wife and children — poor people, as a matter 
of course. It is my duty to go and see them, to provide for 
their wants, to give them a little comfort ! I must see them, 
and I will do my duty by them !” 

And had she consulted Mr. Andrew on this subject, how 
could he have dissuaded her from performing this act of 
gratitude and charity? 

The 2 1st of June, Dolly slipped out of the house about 
nine o’clock in the morning, without having been seen. 
She was dressed in black — ;in mourning for her child, 
whose death, so she believed, had occurred but two months 
before. It was not without a feeling of deep emotion that 
she passed through the little garden gate, alone for the 
first time. 

The weather was beautiful, and the heat was already 
great for this early Californian summer, cooled though it 
was by the breeze from the sea. 

Almost by instinct she made her way through the avenues 
of the upper part of the town. Wholly taken up with the 
thought of her errand, and heedless of aught else, she did 
not notice certain alterations that had been made in the 
district, and which would otherwise have attracted her 
attention. At least, she had* but a vague perception of 


88 


MISTRESS BRA NIC A N’. 


them. Besides, the changes were not of such a nature as 
to prevent her finding her way down toward the sea. Nor 
did she remark that two or three people, who recognized 
her, looked at her with a certain astonishment. 

Presently, a Catholic chapel stood hard by, the nearest to 
her home, and one N of which she had been a most assiduous 
frequenter ; she was seized by an irresistible desire to enter. 
The officiating clergyman was beginning the service as 
Dolly knelt in an out-of-the-way corner. There, her soul 
poured itself out in prayer for her child, for her husband, 
for all she loved. None of the members of the little con- 
gregation had seen her enter, and when she rose to go they 
had already left the chapel. 

It was then that she was struck by a slight alteration 
in the arrangement of the chapel, which did not fail to sur- 
prise her. It seemed to her that this was not the altar before 
which she had knelt so often before. The old one was 
humbler, of a more ancient style ; this one stood in front 
of a platform which seemed to have been newly constructed. 
Had the chapel been enlarged lately ? 

This was at most but a transient impression, which 
vanished as soon as Mrs. Branican had re-entered the laby- 
rinth of this busy locality, which was now crowded. But at 
every step she might find out the truth, a poster with a date 
on it, a railroad bill, an advertisement giving the departures 
of the Pacific liners or the announcement of some fete or en- 
tertainment bearing the date 1879, and then Dolly would be 
abruptly confronted with the fact that Mr. Andrew and Dr. 
Brumley had been deceiving her ; that she -had been insane 
for four years, not a few weeks. And then the inevitable 
inference that the Franklin had been gone, not two months, 
but four years ! And if all this had been concealed from 
her, it was because John had not come back — never would 
come back ! 

She was hurrying on toward the quays, when the idea 





Surprise gives Way to a vague Sensation of Uneasiness (/. 89). 



DISCOVERIES ! 89 

struck her to pass by Len Burker's house. It would be but 
a slight detour. 

“ Poor Jane ! ” she murmured. 

When in front of the office in Fleet Street she could 
hardly recognize it, and now her feeling of surprise gave 
way to a vague sensation of uneasiness. 

Sure enough, instead of the dark, narrow house she 
remembered, there stood before her a pretentious building, 
of Anglo-Saxon architecture, several stories high, with 
tall windows, railed in on the ground floor. On the roof 
rose a toweret, over which waved a flag bearing the initials 
H. W. By the side of the door was a plate on which could 
be read in gold letters the words : 


HARRIS WADANTON & CO. 


At first Dolly thought she had made a mistake. She 
looked to the right and to the left. No ! It was un- 
doubtedly here, at the corner of Fleet Street, that she used 
to call on Jane. 

She passed her hand over her eyes. An unspeakable 
presentiment stilled the throbbing of her heart. She could 
not understand the feeling she experienced. 

Mr. Andrew’s office was not far. A few paces farther 
she caught sight of it at a turn of the street. At first she 
thought of going in. No. She would call on her way 
back, after seeing Zach Fren’s people. She would surely 
find the sailor’s address at the office of the steam launch 
company, near the pier. 

With a dazed mind, suspectful eye, and faltering heart, 
Dolly went on. Her gaze now rested on everyone she 
met. She would fain have gone straight to those people 
and questioned them, and asked them — what ? They would 
have taken her for a mad woman, and was she quite sure 


f 


90 MISTRESS B RANI CAN. 

that her mind was not giving way once more ? Might there 
be intermittent gaps in her memory, perhaps? Could it be 
she had not regained complete possession of herself ? 

She at last reached the quays. From there she had a 
full view of the bay. A few ships were riding at anchor. 
Others were getting under sail. What recollections this 
activity brought back to her mind ! Not quite two months 
ago she was standing at the end of this wharf. It was from 
this spot she had seen the Franklin turn one last time to 
make for the entrance of the bay. It was there she had 
heard John’s last adieu ! Then the vessel had rounded 
Island Point, the tall masts being visible for a moment 
above the rocks, and the Franklin had disappeared alto- 
gether out to sea. 

A moment later Dolly stood before the steam launch 
office, near the passenger landing-stage. One of the little 
boats was even now starting for Loma Point. 

She kept watching it, listening to the puffing of the steam 
as it issued from its dark funnel. 

Over what painful scenes her mind wandered back once 
more! 

Those billows that had engulfed her baby boy, and 
would not even give up his tiny corpse, attracted her, 
fascinated her. She felt herself sinking, as though the 
ground was giving way from under her. Her head was 
dizzy. She was near falling. And she tottered rather than 
walked into the steam launch office. 

On seeing the poor woman with contracted features and 
blanched cheeks, the clerk, who was sitting at a table, stood 
up and offered her a chair. 

“ You are ill, madam ? ” he asked. 

“ A mere nothing, sir,” answered Dolly. “ I felt a little 
faint. I am better already.” 

“ Kindly take a seat until the next boat. She will be here 
in ten minutes at most.” 


DISCOVERIES ! 


9 


“Thank you, sir,” interrupted she. “I have come 
here to get some information. Perhaps you can give 
it me. ” 

“ What about ? ” 

Dolly sat down, and, after having passed her hand over 
her forehead to collect her thoughts, she commenced : 

“ You had in your employ a sailor named Zach Fren, I 
believe ? ” 

“Yes, madam ; he did not stay long with us, but I knew 
him well.” 

“ He is the man, is he not, who risked his life to save a 
woman — an unfortunate mother.” 

“ Quite so, quite so ; I remember it well. Mrs. Branican 
was the lady. Yes, that is the man.” 

“ And now he is at sea ? ” 

“ He is.” 

“ On what ship did he embark ? ” 

“ On the three-master Californian .” 

“ Of San Diego ? ” 

“ No, madam, of San Francisco.” 

“ Bound for what port ? ” 

“ For the European seas.” 

Mrs. Branican, more exhausted than she could believe, re- 
mained quiet for a few moments, and the clerk waited for 
her to question him further. When she was somewhat 
rested she resumed : 

“ Zach Fren is from San Diego, is he not?” 

“ Oh, yes, he is.” 

“ Can you tell me where his family lives ? ” 

“ I have always heard it said that Zach Fren was alone in 
the world. I don’t believe he has a single relative in San 
Diego or anywhere else.” 

“ He was not a married man ? ” 

“ No, madam.” 

The clerk’s replies could evidently be trusted since he 


92 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


knew Zach Fren so well ; and so for the present there was 
nothing to be done, no distressed family to relieve, and Mrs. 
Branican would have to wait the Calif or nian' s return to 
America. 

“ Do you know how long Fren’s trip is likely to last ? ” 
she asked. 

“ That I could not tell, madam ; you see the Californian 
has gone on a very long cruise.” 

“ I am much obliged to you, sir. It would have given 
me great pleasure to meet Zach Fren again, but I suppose 
it will be some time yet.” 

“ I guess it will ! ” 

“ In any case there will be some tidings of the Californian 
in a few months — a few weeks, perhaps ? ” 

“ Tidings !” repeated the clerk. “Why I reckon the 
owners of the ship at San Francisco must have heard about 
her several times already.” 

“ Already ? ” 

“ Certainly, madam • ” 

“ Several times, you said ? ” 

And with these words on her lips, Mrs. Branican stood 
up, and stared at the man as though she did not understand 
what he said. 

“ Here, madam,” replied the latter, handing her a news- 
paper. “ Here is the Shipping Gazette. It says that the 
Californian left Liverpool a week ago.” 

“ A week ago ! ” she repeated, taking the paper with 
a trembling hand. 

Then, in a voice so strangely altered that the clerk could 
scarcely hear her, she inquired : 

“ How long has Zach Fren been away ? ” 

“ Eighteen months.” 

“ Eighteen months? ” 

Dolly supported herself on the corner of the table. Her 
blood ran cold in her veins. 


DISCO V ERIE S ! 


93 


Suddenly her eyes caught sight of a time table, hung on 
the wall, announcing the alterations in the service of the 
steam launches for the summer season. 

On the top of this sheet was the date : 

March, 1879. 

March, 1879 • She had been deceived ! Her child had 
been dead four years. John had been gone from San 
Diego four years. She had been insane four years ! Yes! 
And if Mr. Andrew and Dr. Brumley had led her to believe 
that her illness had lasted but two months, it was with a 
view to hide from her the truth about the Franklin. They 
had been for four years without news of John or his ship. 

To the clerk's great dismay, Mrs. Branican was seized 
with a violent spasm. But with a supreme effort she re- 
covered her self-possession. Straightway leaving the office 
she darted quickly through the streets of the lower part of 
the town. 

Those who noticed this woman pass by, with pale face 
and haggard eyes, must have thought she was a lunatic. 

And although such was not the case yet with poor Dolly, 
who could have said she was not once again on the brink 
of the abyss ? 

Where was she going? To Mr. Andrew’s house, which 
she reached, almost unconsciously, a few minutes later. 
Right through the outer offices she walked, regardless of the 
clerks who scarce dared to stop her, and pushed open the 
door of the private office where the shipowner was sitting. 

Mr. Andrew was first bewildered by Mrs. Branican’s 
sudden appearance, then terrified at the sight of her dis- 
torted features and death-like pallor. 

And before he was able to speak to her : 

“ I know it, I know all ! ” she cried. “You have deceived 
me ! I was insane for four years ! ” 

“ My dear Dolly, calm yourself ! ” 


94 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 


“ Tell me ! the Franklin ! She has been away four years, 
has she not ? ” 

Mr. Andrew bowed his head. 

“You have not heard anything of her for four years, not 
for four years ? ” 

Mr. Andrew still remained silent. 

“ The Franklin is considered as lost ; none of the crew 
will ever come back. I am never to see John again ! ” 

Tears were the only answer the old man could give. 

Suddenly Mrs. Branican fell into an armchair. She had 
fainted. 

Assistance was at once forthcoming. One of the em- 
ployees was sent off for Dr. Brumley, who lived in the neigh- 
borhood, and he came almost immediately. 

Mr. Andrew explained what had happened. Either 
through some indiscreet gossip, or perhaps by some unlucky 
chance, Mrs. Branican had learnt the truth. Whether at 
Prospect House, or on the streets of San Diego, it mattered 
very little ! She knew it all, now ! She knew that her child 
had been dead four years, that her insanity had lasted four 
years, and that for four years the Franklin had not been 
heard of ! 

It was not without great difficulty that Dr. Brumley 
succeeded in reviving the unfortunate woman, wondering 
the while whether her mind had been able to withstand this 
last shock — the worst that had befallen her. 

When at last she had recovered consciousness, she still 
knew what had just been revealed to her ! She had re- 
turned to life with unimpaired faculties ! And, through 
her tears, her eye seemed to question Mr. Andrew, who was 
kneeling by her side holding her hands in his. 

“ Speak, speak, Mr. Andrew ! ” 

These were the only words she could utter. 

Then, in a voice broken by sobs, William Andrew re- 
hearsed the sorrowful tale ; told her of the apprehension 





* 









She at . last reached the Quays (/. 90). 













































































































. . . ■ 






DISCOVERIES ! 


95 


caused at first by the lack of information concerning the 
Franklin j of the letters and telegrams that were sent to 
Singapore and to India, where the vessel had never reached ; 
of the inquiries that were made all along the course which 
must have been taken by the ship ; told her that nothing 
had been found that could give them the least indication 
of the wreck ! 

Mrs. Branican lay motionless and listened in silence. 

And when he had finished : 

“ My child dead — my husband dead ! ” she murmured. 
“Ah ! why did not Zach Fren let me die, too ! ” 

But her face brightened again suddenly, and her natural 
energy reasserted itself with such vigor that Dr. Brumley 
became alarmed. 

“ From the time of your last researches,” said she, in a 
firm tone of voice, “ nothing has been heard of my poor 
husband’s boat? ” 

“ Nothing,” answered Mr. Andrew. 

“ And you consider her as lost?” 

“ Yes — undoubtedly lost ! ” 

“ And of John and his crew no news has been received ? ” 

“ None, my poor Dolly ; and now we have no more hope.” 

“ No more hope ? ” she interrupted, almost ironically. 

She had stood up, raising her hand to one of the windows 
from which a full view of the sea could be obtained. 

Mr. Andrew and the doctor were anxiously watching her, 
dreading the worst for her mind. 

But Dolly was in full possession of herself, and her gaze 
was aglow with the fire of her soul. 

“ No more hope ! ” she repeated. “ You say no more 
hope ! Mr. Andrew, if John is lost for you, he is not lost 
for me ! The wealth that is now mime, I will not have 
without him. I will spend it all to find John and his com- 
panions ! And with the help of God, I will find them ! 
Yes, I will find them 1 ” 


9 6 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


CHAPTER X. 

PREPARATIONS. 

M RS. BRANICAN was now on the eve of a new life. If 
the death of her child was an absolute certainty, the 
case of her husband was different. Might not John and 
his crew have survived the wreck of their ship, and have 
taken refuge on one of the numerous islands of the 
Philippine, Celebes, or Java seas ? Was it not possible for 
them to have been taken prisoners by some of the natives, 
and have been unable to make their escape? It was to this 
last hope that she clung, and with such obstinacy that she 
was not long in reversing public opinion in San Diego con- 
cerning the Franklin. No ! she did not believe, she could 
not believe, that John and his men had perished, and to 
this persistent idea, perhaps, it was due, that her mind had 
not given way a second time. Unless, indeed, as some 
were inclined to believe, this was, of itself, a kind of mon- 
omania, a sort of mental disorder that might be called “ the 
folly of hoping against hope.” But it was nothing of the 
kind, as will be seen later. Mrs. Branican had regained all 
her intellectual powers, and, chief among them, the sound 
judgment that had always characterized her. The one idea, 
that of finding John, was always and ever before her, and 
pursue it she would with an energy that coming events 
would only increase. 

Since God had so willed it that Zach Fren had saved her 
from death, that she had now recovered her senses, that 
every possible means of action that wealth can supply had 
been placed at her disposal, it was a sure sign that John 
was still alive, that she was fated to save him. Her im- 
mense fortune, she would spend it on incessant searches. 
She would give it away as rewards, she would use it in equip- 
ments, There would not be an island, not an islet on the 






























































































































































































Mrs. Branican had not remained Idle (/. ioo). 


PREPARATIONS. 


97 


seas likely to have been sailed by the young captain, that 
would not be made out, visited, and thoroughly explored. 
What Lady Franklin had done for John Franklin, Mrs. 
Branican would do for John Branican, and she would suc- 
ceed where the widow of the illustrious admiral had failed. 

From that day forth, Dolly’s friends understood that they 
should help her in this new period of her existence, encour- 
age her in her investigations, join their efforts with hers. 
And that is what Mr. Andrew did, although he placed but 
little reliance on the success of any searches for the survivors 
of the wreck. So he became Mrs. Branican’s most ardent 
adviser, and found a valuable help in the captain of the 
Boundary , whose ship happened to be unloading at San 
Diego at the time. Captain Ellis, a resolute man who could 
be trusted, and a devoted friend of John, was invited to 
come and talk with her and William Andrew ; and frequent 
were the meetings at Prospect House. 

Rich though she now was, Dolly had no thought of leaving 
her modest cottage. It was there John had left her on going 
away, it was there he would find her on his return. Nothing 
should be altered in her mode of life, so long as her hus- 
band was away from San Diego. The same simplicity 
should reign in her household, the same moderation in her 
expenditure, save in what concerned her momentous search 
or her works of charity. 

All this was soon known about town, and still increased 
the sympathy already felt for the plucky woman, who would 
not acknowledge herself John Branican’s widow. Without 
her knowing it, she had become the idol of the town ; she 
was admired, venerated even, for her misfortunes justified 
veneration. Not only were prayers universally uttered for 
her success in the expedition she was preparing, but the 
general faith in that success was growing apace. When- 
ever Dolly came down town to visit either Mr. Andrew or 
Captain Ellis, and she was seen walking along, sad and re- 


9 8 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


served, draped in mourning, an aged woman before her 
time, — she was scarcely twenty-five years old yet, — people 
took off their hats or bowed as she passed. But in truth 
she saw nothing of all these tokens of deference. 

During her interview with the shipowner and the cap- 
tain, the first thing studied had been the course which the 
Frankliji must have followed. It was important this should 
be mapped out from the start, with strict accuracy. 

The firm had sent their ship to Calcutta by way of Singa- 
pore, where she was to unload a portion of her cargo before 
proceeding to India. Now, after getting into the open sea, 
west of the American coast, it was probable that Captain 
John had made for the Hawaiian or Sandwich group. After 
crossing the micronesian zones, the Franklin had very likely 
sailed for the Marianne and Philippine Islands; then by 
way of the Celebes Sea and the Strait of Macassar on to 
the Java Sea, and thence to Singapore. At the western 
extremity of the Strait of Malacca, formed by the penin- 
sula of that name and the Island of Sumatra, is the Gulf 
of Bengal, in which, except at the Nicobar and the Anda- 
man Islands, the shipwrecked men could have found no 
refuge. Besides it was beyond doubt that John Branican 
had not been seen in the Gulf of Bengal. So, since he did 
not put into port at Singapore, — which was now but too 
certain, — he must not have gone beyond the limit of the 
Java Sea and the Sunda Straits. 

As to supposing that instead of taking this course, the 
Franklin had tried to reach India by the dangerous passes 
of the Torres Strait, along the northern coast of Australia, 
no sailor would hear of such a thing. Captain Ellis affirmed 
that John Branican could not have needlessly committed 
such an imprudent act as to venture among the dangers of 
this strait. This hypothesis was utterly abandoned ; it was 
on the Malay seas alone that the. search should be made. 

Sure enough, among the Carolines, the Celebes, and the 


PREPARA TIONS. 


99 


Java Sea, islands are counted by thousands, and it was 
there only that the crew of the Franklin , in case of their 
surviving the wreck, could have been abandoned, or captured 
by some tribe, without any chance of escape. 

These several points settled, it was agreed that an expedi- 
tion should be sent to the Malay seas, and Mrs. Branican 
made a proposal to which she attached great importance. 
She asked Captain Ellis if he would take command of this 
expedition. 

The captain was free at the time, since the Boundary had 
been laid up by the' firm. So, although surprised by the 
unexpectedness of the proposal, he put himself at Mrs. 
Branican’s service without any hesitation, Mr. Andrew not 
only consenting, but warmly thanking him for so doing. 

“ 1 am only doing my duty,” he replied, “and everything 
I can do to find the survivors of the Franklin I will do. If 
Captain John is still alive ” 

“ John is alive ! ” asserted Mrs. Branican in so affirma- 
tive a tone that even the most incredulous would not have 
dared to contradict her. 

Captain Ellis then brought forward for discussion several 
points that had to be agreed upon. The engaging of a 
crew worthy of seconding his efforts would be an easy 
matter. But then, there was the question of the ship. It 
was evident that the Boundary would not do for an expedi- 
tion of this kind. A sailing vessel could not undertake 
such a voyage ; a steamship was needed. 

There was, at the time, in the port of San Diego, a certain 
number of ships suitable for such a cruise. Mrs. Branican 
commissioned the captain to purchase the very fastest of 
them, and placed the necessary funds at his disposal. A 
few days later the matter had been concluded, and Mrs. 
.Branican was owner of the Davitt , a name she changed to 
the more auspicious one of Dolly's Hope. 

It was a screw steamer of 900 tons, fitted out in such a 


IOO 


MISTRESS BRANICArf. 


way as to be able to take aboard sufficient coal for a long 
voyage, without needing a fresh supply. Rigged as a 
three-mast, schooner, carrying considerable canvas, and 
a 1200-horse power engine, she attained an average 
speed of fifteen knots an hour. With such tonnage and 
such a speed, the Dolly's Hope seemed all that could be de- 
sired for a voyage across narrow seas, dotted with small 
islands and rocks. It would have been hard to find a 
better one for such an undertaking. 

Three weeks were all that was needed to get ready, to 
look to the boilers, see to the engine, fo make the necessary 
repairs to her masts and rigging, regulate the compass, ship 
the coal, and take on board sufficient provisions for over 
twelve months. For Captain Ellis was resolved not to 
leave the seas in which the Franklin was supposed to have 
been lost, until he had explored all the islands on which 
the survivors could have taken refuge. He had given his 
word on it as a sailor, and he was not the man to break his 
promises. 

Adding a good crew to a good ship was increasing her 
chances of success, and, in that respect, Captain Ellis had 
every reason to congratulate himself on the alacrity with 
which the maritime population of San Diego came to his 
help. The very best seamen of the port offered their ser- 
vices. They vied with each other for the right to start in 
search of the lost crew, every man of which belonged to 
the town. 

The crew of the Dolly's Hope was composed of a mate, a 
lieutenant, a boatswain, a quartermaster, and twenty-five 
men, including engineers and firemen. Captain Ellis felt 
sure that he could rely on these devoted and courageous 
sailors, however long the voyage might last across the 
Malay seas. 

Needless to say that while these preparations were going 
forward, Mrs. Branican had not remained idle. The assist- 


PREPARA TlOtfS. 


IOI 


ance she gave Captain Ellis was incessant ; no difficulty 
was allowed to stand in his way that money could remove ; 
no stone should be left unturned to secure the success of 
the expedition. 

In the meantime this good-hearted creature had not for- 
gotten the families whom the loss of the Franklin had left 
in want or misery. In this case, as we know, she merely 
supplemented the work already commenced by the Andrew 
firm and kept up by public subscriptions. Henceforth, 
these families would be sheltered from want while waiting 
for Mrs. Branican’s expedition to restore to them the sur- 
vivors of the Franklin. 

Why could Dolly not do, for Jane Burker, what she had 
done for these poor people ? She knew how good this poor 
woman had been to her during her illness. She knew that 
Jane had not left her a moment. And now she would still be 
at Prospect House, sympathizing with her hopes, had not 
the deplorable state of her husband’s affairs obliged him to 
leave San Diego, and very probably the United States. 
Whatever blame was due to Len Burker, Jane’s conduct 
toward her cousin had been that of an affectionate, nay a 
most devoted, relative. Dolly loved her in return, and when 
thinking of her deplorable situation, her greatest regret was 
the sense of her inability to show the gratitude she felt by 
coming to her help. But do what he might, William Andrew 
had been unable to find out what had become of the Bur- 
kers. True, even though their hiding place had been dis- 
covered, Mrs. Branican could not bring them back to San 
Diego, since Len Burker was under sentence for embezzle- 
ment, but she could have sent Jane that help of which she 
must be in sore need. 

On the 27th of July the Dolly's Hope was ready to start. 
Mrs. Branican went on board in the morning, to beg Cap- 
tain Ellis, one last time, to spare nothing in order to dis- 
cover some signs of the Fraiiklin. She had no doubt 


102 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


whatever but that he would succeed. John and his crew 
would be found ! She repeated these words with such con- 
viction that the sailors hurrahed with delight. All shared 
her faith, as well as did their friends and relations, who 
had come to witness the departure of the steamer. 

Then Captain Ellis, addressing Mrs. Branican and Mr. 
Andrew, who had accompanied her on board : 

“ Before you, madam, and you, Mr. Andrew, in the name 
of my officers and crew, I swear, yes ! I swear to face 
any danger, to spare no toil, in order to find Captain John 
and the crew of the Franklin. This ship you have called 
Dolly's Hope ; she shall be worthy of the name ! ” 

“ With God’s help and the devotion of those who place 
their trust in him ! ” added Mrs. Branican. 

“ Hurrah ! ” shouted the hearers. “ Hurrah ! for John 
and Dolly Branican ! ” 

And the hurrahs were re-echoed by the people who were 
crowding the wharves. 

Her moorings were cast loose, the Dolly's Hope steamed 
slowly toward the mouth of the bay. Then, once clear of 
the narrow outlet, she made straight for the southwest, and 
was soon lost to view. 


CHAPTER XI. 

FIRST EXPEDITION TO THE MALAY SEAS. 

O N the 27th of July, after a run of 2200 miles, the Dolly's 
Hope sighted the Mounakea Mountain, which towers 
15,000 feet above the Hawai Island, the most southern of 
the Sandwich group. 

Independently of five large islands and three smaller 
ones, this group contains quite a number of little islets, on 
which it would be useless to look for traces of die Frank- 
lin. .It was obvious that the wreck should have been heard 


FIRST EXPEDITION TO THE MALAY SEAS. 103 

of long since, had it happened on the numerous reefs of 
this archipelago, even those of Medo-Manou, although their 
only inhabitants are numberless sea birds. In truth, the 
Sandwich Islands are rather thickly populated, — the island 
of Hawaii alone has 100,000 inhabitants, — and thanks to the 
French, English, and American missionaries who live on 
these islands, the news of the disaster would have promptly 
reached the ports of California. 

Besides, four years previously, when Captain Ellis met 
the Franklin , the two ships were even then beyond the 
Sandwich group. The Dolly's Hope continued her course 
southwest across this beautiful Pacific, which well deserves 
its name during the few months of the warm season. 

Six days later the fast-going steamer had crossed the 
conventional line drawn by geographers from south to north 
between Polynesia and Micronesia. In this western part of 
the Polynesian seas, Captain Ellis had no investigations to 
make. But, further on, the Micronesian seas swarm with 
islands, islets, and rocks ; it was there the perilous task of 
finding out signs of a shipwreck was to be undertaken. 

The 2 2d of August, Otia was reached ; the most import- 
ant island of the Marshall group, visited by Kotzebue and 
the Russians in 1817. This group, scattered over a distance 
of thirty miles from east to west, and thirteen miles from 
north to south, contains no less than sixty-five islets or 
attolons. 

Although the Dolly's Hope could have taken her supply 
of fresh water from the island in a few hours, she stayed 
there five days. Embarking on the ship’s steam launch, 
Captain Ellis ascertained that during the last four years no 
ship had been lost on those rocks. They came across some 
debris along the Mulgrave Isles ; but they were only trunks 
of pine, palm, or bamboo trees brought by the current from 
the north or south, and used by the inhabitants for the 
building of their pirogues. It was further ascertained from 


104 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


the chief of the Otia Island, that since 1872 a single 
vessel had been thrown on the rocks to the east, and that 
was an English brig, whose crew was subsequently sent 
home. 

On leaving the Marshall archipelago, the Dolly s Hope 
made for the Carolines. On passing Oualam Island, the 
steam launch was sent to explore it, without any result. On 
the 3d of September the vessel entered the vast archipelago, 
stretching, on one side, between the 12th degree of latitude 
north and the 3d degree latitude south, and on the other, 
between the 129th degree longitude east and the 170th de- 
gree longitude west — say 125 leagues from north to south 
on both sides of the equator, and about 1000 leagues from 
west to east. 

The Dolly s Hope remained three months in these Caro- 
line seas, now comparatively well known through the labors 
of Liitke, the audacious Russian navigator, superadded to 
those of the two Frenchmen, Dupetrey and Duniont d’Ur- 
ville. It did not require less time to visit successively 
the principal groups forming this archipelago, the Pellen, 
the Dangereuses-matelotes, the Martyrs, the Saavedra, the 
Sonsorol, the Mariera Isles, the Anna, the Lord North, etc. 

Captain Ellis had made Yap, or Gouap, the center of his 
operations, an island belonging to the Caroline group, prop- 
erly so called, which itself consists of nearly 500 islets. From 
this spot, the various excursions to the more distant points 
were made to radiate. How many wrecks had this archi- 
pelago witnessed ? among them, that of the Antilope , in 1793, 
that of the American Captain Barnard on Mortz and Lord 
North Islands in 1832, and so many others ! 

All this time the devotion of the crew was beyond all 
praise. No man ever cast a thought on the perils or the 
fatigues of this cruise among numberless rocks, through 
narrow passes, the beds of which were covered with coral 
growths. And now the stormy season was beginning to 




They ventured forth through magnificent Forests (/. 107). 





FIRST EXPEDITION TO THE MALA Y SEAS. 105 

disturb these seas, where the winds rage with such terrible 
fury, and cause, to this day, so manyjdisasters. 

Each day the ship’s boats searched every creek into 
which the currents might have thrown some of the wreck. 
The men were of course fully armed whenever they landed, 
for theirs was not like the expedition undertaken in search 
of Admiral Franklin, on the desert lands of the Arctic 
countries. These isles were inhabited for the most part ; and 
Captain Ellis’s task consisted above all in maneuvering, as 
did Entrecasteaux when he searched the attolons where 
Laperouse was supposed to have been lost. The chief 
point for them was to get into communication with the 
natives ; and they often met with opposition on the part of 
those people, who are anything but friendly to strangers. 
Many a time the islanders proved aggressive and should 
needs be repulsed by force. Two or three seamen even 
were wounded, but luckily without any fatal results. 

It was from this archipelago of the Carolines that Cap- 
tain Ellis was able to send his first letters to Mrs. Branican, 
by some ships bound for the American coast. But they 
contained no news about the Franklin or the survivors. 
The fruitless search was going to be continued in the west, 
and would cover the vast group of the Malay Islands. 
There, in reality, the chances of finding the survivors of the 
catastrophe were more serious. 

Seven hundred miles farther to the west of the Carolines, 
on the 2d of December, one of the largest of the Philippine 
Islands was reached, the most important in the Malay 
archipelago ; nay, the most important of any as yet ascer- 
tained by geographers either in the Malay system or even 
throughout the whole extent of Oceania. This group, dis- 
covered by Magellan in 1521, stretches from the fifteenth to 
the twenty-first degree of latitude north and from the 114th 
to the 123d of longitude east. 

The Dolly's Hope did not call at Luzon, an important 


io6 MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 

island bearing also the name of Manilla. How could the 
Franklin have sailed so high up in the Chinese seas when 
her course lay to Singapore ? More judicious did Captain 
Ellis deem it to establish his rallying center at Mindanao 
Island, south of the said archipelago, a point which John 
Branican must needs have passed, on his way to the Sea of 
Java. 

She was now lying off the southwest coast, in the harbor 
of Zamboanga, the residence of the governor-in-chief, from 
whom depend the three districts into which the island is 
divided. 

Mindanao contains two distinct parts, the one Spanish, 
the other independent, under the rule of a “ soulthan,” who 
has made Selangan his residence. 

It was obvious that the governor and the district adminis- 
trators should be applied to from the first, regardinga wreck 
which might possibly have taken place on the coast of 
Mindanao ; and these officials readily placed themselves at 
Captain Ellis’s disposal ; but no maritime disaster, at least 
in the Spanish portion of Mindanao, had been reported for 
five years past. 

True, along the coast of the independent half of the island, 
inhabited by Mindanos, Caragos, Loutas, Soubanis, and 
various other savage tribes, very strongly suspected of can- 
nibalism, many a disaster might have taken place unknown to 
the authorities, for it is to the interest of the natives to keep 
such events secret. You even meet Malays in these parts 
who openly fly the pirate’s flag. With their light vessels, 
armed with falconets, they chase any merchant ships that 
may be driven toward their coast by the westerly winds, and 
when they obtain possession of them their first care is to 
break them up. Had the Franklin been doomed to such a 
fate, the governor would assuredly never have heard of it. 
The only information he was able to give regarding his own 
jurisdiction was therefore deemed insufficient. 










Over a hundred Islands had been visited ( p . 107) 




FIRST EXPEDITION TO THE MALA Y SEAS. 107 

And accordingly the Dolly's Hope had to brave these seas, 
so terrible during the winter season. Many a time a land- 
ing was effected on various points on the coast and the 
sailors ventured forth through those magnificent forests of 
tamarinds, bamboos, mangroves, black ebony trees, wild 
mahogany and iron-wood trees, the wealth of the Philippines. 
In the midst of fertile tracts, where the products of temper- 
ate zones as well as those of the tropics ’luxuriate side by 
side, they came across certain villages where they hoped 
they might discover some indication of a wreck, perchance 
some castaway held in captivity by the Malay tribes ; but the 
same ill success tracked their steps in every direction, and 
they needs should return to Zamboanga, greatly tried by the 
rough weather, and having escaped but by a miracle the 
submarine reefs of these seas. 

The exploration of the Philippines did not last less than 
two months and a half ; over a hundred islands had been 
visited, chief among which, after Luzon and Mindanao, are 
Mindoro, Leyte, Samar, Panay, Negros, Zebu, Masbate, 
Palawan, Catanduanes, etc. 

Next, the Bassilan group, south of Zamboanga, was 
searched, and then our party made for the Archipelago of 
Holo, which was reached on the 25th of February, 1880. 

Here was a very nest of pirates, swarming with natives, in 
the middle of jungle-covered islands, which are scattered 
between the southern extremity of Mindanao and the north 
of Borneo. One single port alone is sometimes visited by 
ships crossing the Chinese Sea and the Malay basins, the 
port of Bevouan, which gave its name to the whole group. 

In this port the Dolly's Hope cast anchor. Communica- 
tions were entered into with the “soulthan” and the 
“ datous,” who govern a population of some 6000 or 7000 
inhabitants ; and, in return for liberal presents, both in 
money and kind, the natives told of several wrecks that had 
taken place on the belt of corals and Madrepores around 


io8 MISTRESS BRANICAN. 

their islands. But amid the debris which were collected, 
none were recognized that could have belonged to the 
Franklin. In any case, the crews had perished or returned 
home. 

The stock of coal taken in at Mindanao had been con- 
siderably reduced during the meandering voyage through 
the Holo group. There was enough remaining, however, 
to cross the Celebes Sea and reach the port of Bandger 
Massing, to the south of Borneo. 

This basin resembles a huge lake, inclosed on one side by 
the larger Malay islands, on another by a belt of islets. 
Still, despite these natural defenses, the Celebes Sea is but 
badly protected against the fury of the tempests, and if one 
may indulge in the praises of its gorgeous waters, alive with 
brightly colored zoophytes and myriads of mollusks, if the 
imagination of navigators has gone so far as to compare it 
to a “ bed of liquid flowers,” the typhoons which ravage it 
cast a lurid shade on this glowing picture. 

Too true did this prove for the Dolly's Hope during the 
night of February 28-29. Throughout the day the wind 
had been high, and although it had somewhat subsided 
toward evening, dark clouds, lowering on the horizon, fore- 
told a troubled night. 

And sure enough, by eleven o’clock the storm had risen 
once more, and in a very short time the billows broke loose 
with truly appalling violence. 

The captain, justly alarmed for the machinery of his 
steamer, took measures at once to prevent any mishap that 
might compromise his expedition. 

In spite of this, however, the tornado grew so terrific, the 
ocean unfurled its waves with such rage, that nowand again 
the Dolly's Hope was powerless to avoid the full force of 
the tempest. In a few lurches, some hundred tons of water 
were shipped, which broke on the deck, dashed the hoods 
to pieces, and collected in the hold. Fortunately the water- 


FIRST EXPEDITION TO THE MALAY SEAS. 109 

tight compartments stood the shock and prevented the flood 
from deluging the furnace and the machinery. This was 
providential, for, with her fires out, the steamer would have 
become the helpless prey of the elements, and no longer 
answering her helm, rolling in the hollow of the waves, and 
battered on her side by the on-rushing sea, her ultimate fate 
would have left little room-for doubt. 

The crew displayed as much composure as bravery under 
these critical circumstances, and nobly seconded the captain 
and his officers. Worthy indeed did they show themselves 
of the commander who had selected them out of the Hite of 
San Diego sailors ; and to the skill and precision of the 
maneuvers the saving of the ship was due. 

After fifteen hours, a change came at last over the face 
of the sea ; its fury abated almost suddenly, as the Dolly's 
Hope neared the large island of Borneo, and in the morning 
of the 2d of March, she sighted the Maratouba Islands. 

These islands, which, geographically speaking, are de- 
pendencies of Borneo, were the objects of the most 
minute exploration during the first fortnight of this month. 
Thanks to presents lavished with a liberal hand, the chief- 
tains lent their aid to the explorers, but failed to put them 
on the track of any information regarding the missing ship. 
As these regions, however, are but too often scoured by 
pirates, it was not impossible that John Branican and his 
men might have been murdered to the very last. 

This was the topic of conversation one day between the 
captain and his second officer. 

“ After all,” remarked the former, “the Franklin might 
very well have perished in an encounter of this kind, and 
that would explain how we never found any sign of a wreck. 
These pirates are not likely to boast of their doings ; when 
a ship disappears the thing is credited to a typhoon, and 
there is an end of it.” 

f‘ l am sure that’s but too true,” was the answer. “ There 


I IO 


M/STRESS BRANICAN. 


is no lack of those pirates about here, and we shall have to 
be more watchful than ever when we go down Macassar 
Strait.” 

“ Of course,” replied the captain ; “ but we are better off 
than John Branican was. With irregular and changeable 
winds, a sailing vessel does not always go where she would 
like to ; while with us, as long as our machinery keeps in 
order, no Malay boat will overtake us, I’m thinking. Still 
we must keep a sharp lookout.” 

It was not long until they entered this Strait of Macassar, 
which separates Borneo from the whimsically outlined coast 
of the Celebes Island. Coal was shipped at Damaring, and 
for two months — from the 15th of March to the 15th of 
May — all the creeks were searched up and down the east 
coast of the strait. 

This Celebes Island, discovered by Magellan, is not less 
than fifty miles long and six miles wide. Its contour is 
such that some geographers have compared it in shape to a 
tarentula, the legs of which would be represented by penin- 
sulas. The beauty of its landscapes, the richness of its 
products, the happy distribution of its mountains, make it 
the rival of Borneo. But the numberless indentations on 
its coasts offer so many safe shelters to pirates that the 
strait is truly dangerous for navigators. 

As she drew nearer to the northern extremity of the 
strait the Dolly's Hope sailed on under somewhat less 
alarming conditions, this part of the island being under 
Dutch dominion. The capital of the Dutch possessions is 
Macassar, formerly called Wlaardingen, defended by the 
fort of Rotterdam. It was there that Captain Ellis lay to, 
on the 17th of May, to give his crew a little rest and take 
in a provision of fuel. Unable though he was to find out 
anything concerning John Branican, he gathered at this 
port an important piece of information regarding the course 
which the Franklin must have followed; for, under date 







The Tornado grew terrific (/. 108) 

















I 

























































* 































































FIRS/' EXPEDITION TO THE MALA Y SEAS. ill 


of May 3, 1875, this vessel had been signaled ten miles off 
Macassar, making for the Sea of Java. It was therefore 
beyond doubt that she had not perished in these terrible 
Malay seas. It was, farther, beyond Celebes and Borneo, 
that is in the Sea of Java, that her traces should be looked 
for, on the way to Singapore. 

In a letter which he wrote to Mrs. Branican from this 
point, the captain advised her of this circumstance, and 
renewed his promise to acquaint her with the progress of his 
explorations, henceforth to be carried on between the Sea 
of Java and the Sunda Islands. 

For, naturally, it was advisable that the Dolly's Hope should 
not go beyond the meridian of Singapore, which would be 
the final point of her campaign to the west. 

Accordingly, she left Macassar on the 23d of July, crossed 
the lower portion of the strait between Celebes Island and 
Borneo, and cast anchor at Bandger-Massing. This is the 
residence of the governor of Borneo, or, to give it its real 
geographical name, of Kalematan. Here the marine registers 
were carefully gone through, but no mention of the Frank- 
lin could be discovered. After all, this was not to be won- 
dered at, in the event of the ship having kept out in the 
high sea. 

Ten days later, the course having been altered to the 
southwest, the port of Batavia was reached, at the extremity 
of that long island of Java of essentially volcanic origin, 
and almost always overtopped with the glaring light of its 
craters. 

A few days sufficed to renew the ship’s provisions in this 
important city, the capital of the Dutch possessions in Aus- 
tralia. The governor-general, who had been acquainted by 
his maritime correspondents with Mrs. Branican’s endeav- 
ors, gave Captain Ellis a gracious welcome, but had no 
item of information to offer him. At this time, the general 
opinion among the seamen of Batavia was that the American 


I 12 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


three-master had been disabled in some tornado and had 
foundered with all on board. Several vessels were quoted, 
which had disappeared in 1875, and which must have gone 
down in that manner, for no vestige of them had ever been 
brought ashore by the currents. 

On leaving Batavia, the Dolly's Hope , passing the Sunda 
Strait on her larboard, came on to the islands of Billitow and 
Bangha. Time was when the neighborhood of these isles 
was infested with pirates, and ships which frequented these 
parts to take cargoes of iron and tin had no little trouble to 
escape them. But the maritime police had at last suc- 
ceeded in driving them away, and there was no reason to 
believe that the Franklin and her crew had perished at 
their hands. 

Now journeying northwest, and visiting the islands off the 
coast of Sumatra, the gallant steamer cleared the peninsula 
of Malacca and anchored off the Island of Singapore on the 
29th of June, after being delayed by contrary winds. 

Repairs to her machinery obliged Captain Ellis to remain 
for a whole fortnight in the port situated to the south of 
the island. Of small dimensions, — only 270 square miles, — 
this possession, so important by its commercial intercourse 
with Europe and America, has become one of the richest 
in the far East, since the day when the English founded 
their first agency there in 1818. 

It will be remembered it was at Singapore that the 
Franklin was to deliver a portion of her cargo before pro- 
ceeding to Calcutta, and we know likewise that nothing had 
been heard of her in that port. However, Captain Ellis 
availed himself of his stay to make inquiries about the 
various disasters that were known to have occurred in the 
Sea of Java for several years past. 

For, in truth, since on the one hand the Frankli?i had 
been sighted off Macassar, and on the other she had not 
reached Singapore, the conclusion imposed itself that she 


nr 




Taking in a Stock of Coal (/. 108). 











































































FIRST EXPEDITION TO THE MALAY SEAS. 1 13 

had been wrecked between these two points, unless, indeed, 
she had left the Sea of Java and passed one of the straits 
which separate the islands of Sunda, to make her way 
toward the Sea of Timor. But why would she have done 
so, since she was bound for Singapore ? The thing would 
be incomprehensible ; it was clearly out of the question. 

His inquiries having given none but negative results, 
Captain Ellis now took leave of the governor of Singapore 
to turn his vessel’s stem homeward, to America. 

Very stormy weather attended his departure on the 25th 
of August. The heat was excessive, as it usually is in the 
month of August at this point of the torrid zone, lying a 
few degrees only below the equator. And during the last 
days of the month the Dolly's Hope was severely tried by 
the elements. Yet not one of the many islets of the Sunda 
was left unexplored. Then in immediate succession came 
Madura, one of the twenty regencies of Java ; Bali, one of 
the most commercial of these centers ; Lambok and Sum- 
bava, then threatened with as disastrous an eruption of its 
volcano at Tombavo as that of 1815. 

Between those islands are so many straits leading into the 
Timor Sea ; here the navigator must be cautious indeed to 
avoid the currents, the force of which carries ships along 
even against the monsoon from the west. What difficulties 
beset the course of sailing vessels may be readily under- 
stood, and hence the catastrophes that are so frequent 
within the Malay zone. 

Past the Island of Fiores the search was pursued, — still 
and ever uselessly, — along the other islands which lie south 
of the sea of the Moluccas. What wonder if, after so 
many disappointments, our crew felt keenly the failure 
of their expedition ! All hope should not be abandoned, 
however, until this expedition was brought to an end. 
Perchance, instead of going down the Strait of Macassar, 
on leaving Mindanao, Captain Branican had crossed the 







/ 


H4 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


archipelago and the sea of the Moluccas to reach the 
Java Sea. 

Meanwhile, time went on, and the log-book was still silent 
regarding the fate of the Franklin. Neither at Timor, nor 
in the three groups which constitute the archipelago of the 
Moluccas, in the group of Amboin, the residence of the 
governor-general in Banda, or in the Gilolo group, was it 
possible to hear any tidings of a ship lost anywhere about 
these isles in the spring of 1875. Between the 23d of Sep- 
tember, when they had left Timor, and the 27th of Decem- 
ber, when they had reached Gilolo, three whole months had 
been spent in anxious inquiries, with the sympathetic assist- 
ance of the Dutch islanders, and not a glimmer of light had 
been thrown on the disaster. 

The voyage of the Dolly's Hope had reached its furthest 
limits. Gilolo, the most important of the Moluccas, was the 
last in that belt of islands which Captain Ellis had under- 
taken to follow up around the Malay region. The crew 
took a few days’ rest, to which they were well entitled. And 
yet, had any fresh indication been forthcoming, what would 
not the noble souls have gladly attempted even in the face 
of greater dangers still ! 

Ternate, the capital of Gilolo Island, the key to the 
Molucca Sea, and the residence of a Dutch governor, sup- 
plied the Dolly's Hope with all the provisions and fuel she 
would need for her trip homeward ; and here they saw the 
close of the year 1881, the sixth year since the disappear- 
ance of Captain Branican. 

On the morning of the 9th of January, the Dolly' s Hope 
steamed out of Gilolo and was soon lost to view, away to 
the northeast. 

The bad season was at its height, however. Painfully 
she labored onward ; contrary winds often caused her con- 
siderable delays, and it was only on the 23d of February 
that she was signaled by the semaphores of San Diego. 



/ 



ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY. 


“5 


This Malay expedition had lasted nineteen months, and 
despite the efforts of Captain Ellis, despite the devotion of 
his crew, the secret of the Franklin lay buried still in the 
depths of the seas. 


CHAPTER XII. 

ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY. 

r pHE letters received by Mrs. Branican from the exploring 
1 party, made her very dubious of its ultimate result ; she 
had but little hope that Captain Ellis’s efforts in the vicinity 
of the Moluccas would prove successful. 

As soon as the Dolly's Hope was signaled off San Diego, 
the poor woman, accompanied by William Andrew, went to 
the port, and both were on board almost before the steamer 
had been safely anchored. 

The attitude of Captain Ellis and his crew told plainly 
enough that the second portion of their voyage had been as 
fruitless as the first. 

After holding out her hand to the captain, Mrs. Branican 
turned toward the men, so severely tried by the hardships 
of this voyage, and said in a firm voice : 

“ I thank you, Captain Ellis ; I thank you, my friends ! 
You have done all I possibly could expect from you. You 
did not succeed, and perhaps you despair of ever doing so. 
I do not despair ! No, I do not give up yet the hope of 
seeing John and his companions of the Franklin again ! 
My hope is in God ! God will realize it ! ” 

These words were pronounced with such an extraordinary 
assurance, they showed such uncommon energy, they said 
so eloquently that the speaker would never yield, that her 
faith ought to have passed into the hearts of all. But, 
although she was listened to with all the respect she was 
entitled to, there was not *one who did not believe that the 
Franklin and her crew were irretrievably lost. 


1 1 6 


MISTRESS BRANICAEr. 


And yet it might have been better, perhaps, to believe in 
that special intuition with which woman is naturally en- 
dowed. Whereas man is guided only by the direct obser- 
vation of facts and by the consequences thereof, it is 
certain that woman has not unfrequently a more accurate 
apprehension of the future through her intuitive faculties. 
It is a sort of natural instinct that guides her, and gives 
her a certain foreknowledge of things. Who knew but 
Mrs. Branican might yet be found right one day, contrary 
to the general opinion? 

Mr. Andrew and she then went into the cabin of the 
Dolly's Hope , where Captain Ellis gave them a detailed ac- 
count of his expedition. By means of maps of Polynesia 
and the Malay seas spread on the table, they were able to 
follow the course taken by the steamer, the different places 
it had stopped at and explored, the observations taken in 
the principal ports and the native villages, the searches made 
among the islands and islets, with minute patience and in- 
defatigable zeal. 

Then the captain added, in conclusion : 

“ Allow me, Mrs. Branican, to draw your special attention 
to this : the Franklin was seen for the last time at a point 
south of Celebes, on May 3, 1875, about seven weeks after 
her leaving San Diego, and since that day she has been 
seen nowhere. Now, as she did not reach Singapore, it is 
beyond doubt that the disaster took place in the Java Sea. 
Why ? There are but two suppositions. The first is, that 
the ship either went down in a storm or was sunk by a 
collision, without leaving a single vestige behind. The 
second is, that she ran on some rocks or that she was 
destroyed by Malay pirates, and in these latter cases it 
would have been possible to find some remnants of her. 
Now, in spite of our explorations, we have been unable to 
find any material proof of the destruction of the Franklin." 

The evident conclusion of this argument was that it 


ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY. 


117 


appeared more logical to adopt the first supposition — the 
one which attributed the loss of the good ship to the fury 
of the tornadoes so frequent in those parts. As to the 
second case, that of a collision, as it very seldom happens 
that one of two colliding vessels does not remain afloat, the 
secret of the collision would have been known sooner or 
later. It was idle, therefore, to entertain any more hope. 

The force of the argument had been duly felt by Mr. 
Andrew, and he bowed his head sadly beneath Mrs. Brani- 
can’s inquiring glance. 

“ No ! ” said she. “ In spite of all, no ! The Franklin 
has not gone down! No! John and his crew are not 
lost ! ” 

The discussion was resumed at Dolly’s desire and Cap- 
tain Ellis had to detail the most minute particulars. Over 
and over again she would cover the same ground, question- 
ing, discussing, in her unyielding way. 

This conversation lasted for three hours, and when Mrs. 
Branican took leave of Captain Ellis, he asked her if it was 
her intention to have the Dolly's Hope laid over. 

“By no means, Captain,” was the sharp reply ; “and I 
should be very sorry if you or your crew had any thought 
of leaving her. How can we tell but some new indication 
may lead us to undertake another expedition ? So, if you 
would care to keep the command of the ship ” 

“ It would give me great pleasure,” replied Captain Ellis. 
“ But I belong to the Andrew firm, madam, and my 
services might be needed.” 

“ Let not that hinder you, my dear Ellis,” said his employer. 
“ I will be happy to see you stay under Dolly’s orders, since 
such is her wish.” 

“ That being so, I remain in her service, sir. Neither 
my crew nor myself will leave the Dolly's Hope.” 

“ And I beg of you, Captain,” said ‘Mrs. Branican, “ to see 
that she is always ready to put off to sea at any time ! ” 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


118 

When giving his consent, the shipowner had no other 
thought than that of complying with Dolly’s desires. But 
both Captain Ellis and himself were under the belief that 
she would not contemplate a second expedition, when the 
first had been so unsuccessful. If time was to prove 
powerless to deaden the memory of the catastrophe, 
it would surely destroy every remnant of hope, in the 
long run. 

So, according to Mrs. Branican’s wish, the Dolly's Hope 
was not laid aside. Captain Ellis and his men remained on 
the muster-roll and continued to receive their pay, just as 
though they were at sea. There were in truth important 
repairs to be made : after nineteen months rough cruising in 
Malay seas the hull should go through the careening dock, 
the rigging had to be partly renewed, the boilers to be 
replaced, certain parts of the machinery to be exchanged. 
Then, when this work was over, the Dolly's Hope took aboard 
her provisions and her supply of coal and was in readiness 
to put to sea at a moment’s notice. 

Mrs. Branican had resumed her former life at Prospect 
House, seeing no one but Mr. Andrew and Captain Ellis. 
She lived alone with her recollections and her hopes, alone 
with the thought of the double misfortune that had befallen 
her. Little Wat would have been seven years old now, — 
the age at which the first glimmer of intelligence brightens 
up the youthful brain, then so impressionable, — and little 
Wat was no more ! Then, at times, her thought would 
wander off to him who risked his life for her, that Zach 
Fren whom she was so desirous of meeting, and who had 
not returned to San Francisco yet. But it would not be 
long now before he did so. Several times the maritime 
news had contained tidings of the Californian , and no doubt 
the year 1881 would not end before she was back in her own 
port. On her arrival Mrs. Branican would send for the 
sailor, and would at last discharge her debt of gratitude 


ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY. 1 19 

toward him and relieve him of all anxiety for his future 
welfare. 

In the meantime, the families, so sorely tried by the loss 
of the Franklin , continued to be the object of her care. It 
was for the sole purpose of visiting their humble homes and 
proferring her affectionate help to them that she ever left 
Prospect House and went down to the lower part of the 
town. Her generosity showed itself under all forms, and 
reached the moral as well as the material needs of her 
proteges. It was during the first months of this year that 
she consulted William Andrew on a project she longed to 
put into execution. 

It was the founding of a home for abandoned children 
and little orphans, which she wished to bestow on San 
Diego. 

“ Mr. Andrew,” said she, “ it is in memory of our child 
that I want to devote myself to this institution, and to 
endow it with the necessary resources for its maintenance. 
I have no doubt but John will approve of it on his return. 
And to what better use could we put our fortune ? ” 

Mr. Andrew having no objection to make, at once placed 
himself at her disposal, to take the necessary steps for the 
erection of an establishment of this kind. One hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars were to be devoted to it, first for 
the purchasing of a suitable building, then for the annual 
expenditure of the various departments. 

This plan was rapidly realized, thanks to the co-operation 
given to the good foundress by the city. It happened, too, 
that there was no need of building. A vast edifice was 
bought in a healthy locality, on the slope of the old 
town. A skillful architect made this building suitable for 
its new purpose, and arranged it in such 3 way as to be able 
to accommodate fifty children, with a staff sufficient to bring 
them up, care for them, and instruct them. Surrounded 
by an immense garden, sheltered with fine old trees, and 


120 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AM. 


watered by running streams* it offered, as far as hygiene is 
concerned, every condition required by experience. 

On May 19th this home — which received the name of 
Wat House — was inaugurated amid the applause of her 
grateful fellow-citizens, who would fain on this occasion 
have expressed to Mrs. Branican all the depth and sincerity 
of their sympathy ; but nothing had induced her to appear 
at the opening ceremony, or even to leave her cottage on 
that day. No sooner, however, had a certain number of 
children been received at Wat House, than she went there 
every day to see them as though she had been their own 
mother. These children might remain in the home until 
they reached the age of twelve. As soon as their age would 
allow it, they were taught to read and write, and a good 
moral and religious education was imparted to them, at the 
same time as they were trained for whatever trade their 
aptitude indicated. Some of them, belonging to seafaring 
families, who showed a liking for the sea, were engaged as 
cabin boys or apprentices. And, truth to tell, it seemed as 
if Dolly had a more personal affection for these, no doubt 
in remembrance of Captain John. 

At the end of the year 1881, no news had been received 
of the Franklin at San Diego, or indeed anywhere else. 
Although considerable rewards had been offered to who- 
ever would discover the slightest clew, not a word had been 
heard to induce the sending off of the Dolly's Hope on a second 
voyage. And yet Mrs. Branican still hoped on. What 1881 
had not done for her, perhaps 1882 would do ! 

As to Mr. and Mrs. Burker, what had become of them ? 
Where had Len Burker flown to escape the hands of justice; 
As the U. S. police had at last given up looking for him, 
Mrs. Branican coujd not now hope to ascertain what had 
become of Jane. 

And yet, her ignorance of her dear cousin’s whereabouts 
was a source of great distress to her. She was surprised 

















































































































































* 














Captain Ellis gave a detailed Account of his 
expedition (/. 116). 


I 






ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY. 


121 


she had never received a single letter from Jane — a letter 
she would easily have been able to send, without compro- 
mising her husband’s safety. Were they both unaware that 
Dolly, now in the full enjoyment of her faculties, had sent 
a ship in search of her husband and that this expedition 
had been fruitless ? Had not the newspapers of both worlds 
followed the different phases of this enterprise, and could it 
be imagined that neither Len nor Jane Burker had heard 
about it ? They could not but know likewise that Mrs. 
Branican had become rich through ,the death of her uncle 
Edward Starter, and that she was in a position to help 
them ! And, still, neither of them had made an attempt at 
entering into correspondence with her, precarious as their 
position must needs be. 

January, February, March, had already gone, and it seemed 
the year 1882 was to bring no change in the state of things, 
when an event happened which seemed to throw some light 
on the mystery of the Franklin. 

On March 27 the steamer Californian , with Zach Fren on 
board, dropped anchor in the Bay of San Francisco, after a 
cruise of several years over the several seas of Europe. 

As soon as Mrs. Branican heard of the vessel’s return, 
she wrote to the sailor, who was now boatswain of his ship, 
asking him to come to her at once at San Diego. 

It just happened to be Zach’s intention to take a few 
months’rest in his native town, and so he answered that as 
soon as he could he would be off to San Diego, and his first 
visit would be to Prospect House. A few days more and 
he would be there. 

But at the same time a rumor spread about, likely to 
create a sensation throughout the United States, did it 
turn out to be true. 

It was reported that the Californian had picked up a piece 
of a wreck, supposed to have belonged to the Franklin. A 
San Francisco newspaper added, that the Californian had 


122 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


found this plank north of Australia, between the Timor Sea 
and the Arafoura Sea, off the island of Melville, west of the 
Torres Strait. 

When this report reached San Diego, William Andrew 
and Captain Ellis, who had been informed of it by telegram, 
hastened to Prospect House. 

At the first word she heard, Mrs. Branican grew very pale, 
but, with that tone which bespoke her absolute conviction, 
she said : 

“ After the plank, the Franklin will be found, and after 
the Franklin , we will find John and his companions ! ” 

In reality, the picking up of this plank was an event of 
some importance. 

It was the first time that any debris of the lost ship had 
been found. In her search after the scene of the disaster, 
Mrs Branican now possessed one link of that chain which 
bound the present with the past. 

Immediately she had a map of Oceanica spread out be- 
fore them. Then Mr. Andrew and Captain Ellis had to 
study the question of undertaking a new expedition, as she 
would have it settled on the spot. 

“ So, the Franklin s course toward Singapore would not 
seem to have lain through the Philippines and the Malay 
Sea,” began Mr. Andrew. 

“ That is improbable — it is impossible,” asserted Captain 
Ellis. 

“ Yet,” continued the shipowner, “ if she followed that 
course, how is it this plank was picked up in the Arafoura 
Sea, north of Melville Island ? ” 

“ I cannot explain, I cannot understand it myself, Mr_ 
Andrew,” replied the captain. “ All I know is, that the 
Franklin was seen southwest of the Celebes after leaving 
Macassar Strait. Now, why she went through this strait is 
evidently because she came from the north and not the east. 
She could not therefore have entered the Torres Strait ! ” 



* 

i 

- t 




























































































* 



































♦ 

































































































< ♦ 

«* 


t 




K 





















- 

























4 













. 






4 







. . . AS THOUGH SHE HAD BEEN THEIR OWN MOTHER (/. 120). 


n> 


ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY. 


123 


This matter was argued for a long time and finally the 
captain’s opinion seemed to carry more weight with it. 

Mrs. Branican listened to the objections and the answers 
given, without saying a word. But her knitted brow showed 
with what tenacity, with what stubbornness, she still refused 
to admit the loss of John and his crew. No ! she would 
not believe it until she had positive proof of their death ! 

“ Very well,” said Mr. Andrew, “ I agree with you, my 
dear Ellis, that the Franklin must have crossed the Java 
Sea on her way to Singapore.” 

“ A part of it, at least, sir, seeing that it is only between 
Singapore and the Celebes that the wreck could have 
occurred.” 

“ Very well, I say. But how did that plank drift into 
Australian waters, if the ship was wrecked on any rock 
in the Java Sea ?” 

“ That can be explained in one way only,” the seaman 
replied : “ by admitting that this plank may have been car- 
ried through the Sunda Strait or one or the other of the 
straits separating these islands from the Timor and the 
Arafoura seas.” 

“ Do the currents flow in that direction ? ” 

“ Certainly, sir ; and I may add, that if the Franklin was 
disabled in some storm, she may have been swept through 
one of these straits, and finally broken to pieces on the 
rocks to the north of the Australian coast.” 

“ Quite true, my dear Ellis,” acquiesced Mr. Andrew, 
“that is the only plausible explanation ; and that being so, 
if a plank was picked up off Melville Island, six years after 
the wreck, it must be that it has only lately been washed off 
the rocks on which the Franklin was dashed ! ” 

This was a supposition that no sailor would have argued 
against. 

Mrs. Branican, whose gaze was still riveted on the map 
before her, then said : 


124 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ Since it is probable that the ship was thrown on 
the Australian coast, and since the survivors have not re- 
appeared, it must be that they have been taken prisoners 
by some of the native tribes.” 

“ As to that, Dolly, it is not impossible — and yet ” 

replied Mr. Andrew. 

Mrs. Branican was about to enter an energetic protest 
against any doubt Mr. Andrew might throw upon her sug- 
gestion, when Captain Ellis thought it his duty to say : 

“ Why, we have yet to know if the plank picked up by 
the Calif ornian really did belong to the Franklin." 

“ Do you doubt it ? ” asked Dolly. 

“ We shall soon have our minds made up on that point,” 
said the shipowner, “for I have ordered the plank to be 
sent on to us.” 

“ And I,” added Mrs. Branican, “ I hereby order the 
Dolly's Hope to be got in readiness to sail at once ! ” 

Three days after this conversation had taken place, the 
boatswain, Zach Fren, who had just arrived in San Diego, 
called at Prospect House. 

Now thirty-seven years of age, vigorous and of resolute 
appearance, with a sunburnt face and an open and happy 
countenance, he was one of those mariners who inspire con- 
fidence to others because they have confidence in them- 
selves, and who are ever ready to go straight whither they 
are told to go. 

The welcome he received from Mrs. Branican bore such 
an imprint of gratitude, that the gallant sailor hardly knew 
how to reply. 

“ My friend,” said she to him, after the first outbreak of 
her emotion, “ it is you — you who saved my life ; you who 
did all in your power to save my poor child. What can I do 
for you ? ” 

The boatswain denied having done anything, but his 
duty ! Any sailor who would not have done as much, 


ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY. 


125 


would not be a sailor at all ! His only regret was that he 
had not been able to bring up the little one along with the 
mother ! Anyhow, he deserved nothing for that. He 
thanked Mrs. Branican for her kind feelings toward him. 
If she would allow him he would come and visit her again 
while he was ashore.” 

“ I have been awaiting your return, Zach, for a good 
many years,” replied Mrs. Branican, “ and I hope you will 
be near by, the day Captain John comes home.” 

“ The day Captain John comes home, eh ?” 

“Zach Fren, do you too believe ” 

“That Captain John is lost ? Bless you, no ! Not I ! ” 
burst out the boatswain. 

“Then — you have hope ” 

“ I’ve got no hope at all, Mrs. Branican. I’m jolly sure 
of it ! Do you think an old salt like Captain John goes 
and gets lost like an old cap in a blast of wind ? No fear ! 
Such a thing has never been heard of before ! ” 

What Fren said, and the genuine earnestness which ac- 
companied his words, sent a thrill through Dolly’s heart. 
She was no longer the only one who believed that John 
would come back. Someone else shared her conviction — 
and this someone was the man who had saved her life. 
Surely the hand of Providence was there. 

“Thank you, Zach,” she said; “Oh, thank you ! You 
do not know the good you have done me 1 Repeat it over 
again ; tell me again that John has survived the wreck.” 

“ As sure as gun’s iron he has, ma’am ; and the proof he 
is alive is that he’ll be found one of these days ! And if 
that’s not proof enough — there ! ” 

The sailor now was asked all kinds of details on the cir- 
cumstances in which the plank had been picked up by the 
Californian. 

“ My friend,” Dolly said at last, “ I have resolved to send 
out another searching party immediately.” 


126 


MISTRESS BRAN/CAN. 


“ That’s right — you bet they succeed this time ; and I'll 
be one of them, ma’am, if you will let me ! ” 

“ You would be willing to sail under Captain Ellis ? ” 

“ With all my heart ! ” 

“Thanks, Zach Fren ! It seems to me that with you 
aboard, the Dolly's Hope will have one more chance.” 

“ I should say so, Mrs. Branican ! ” said the boatswain, a 
merry twinkle in his eyes. “ Yes ! I believe you there, and 
I am ready to set off right away.” 

Dolly took the sailor’s hand and pressed it as she would 
the hand of a dear friend. Her imagination carried her off, 
led her astray, perhaps. But it seemed to her as though this 
man was fated to succeed where others had failed. 

However, as Captain Ellis had observed, and although 
Mrs. Branican’s mind was already made up on that subject, 
it was urgent to ascertain whether the debris brought back 
by the Californian really belonged to the Franklin. 

This plank, forwarded as we know at Mr. Andrew’s request, 
arrived at San Diego by rail, and was immediately brought 
to the shipyard. There it was examined by the engineer 
and the foremen who had superintended the building of the 
Franklin. 

This waif, picked up some ten . miles off Melville Island, 
proved to be a portion of the stem, or rather of the carved 
cutwater usually affixed to the prow of sailing vessels. It 
had been greatly damaged, not by a long stay in the water, 
but by exposure to the inclemency of the weather. Thence 
were drawn the conclusions that it must have remained a 
long time on the rocks against which the ship had been 
dashed, that it had become detached from the main part by 
some cause or another, — probably by the action of the 
current, — and that it had been floating about for several 
months or several weeks when it was sighted by the sail- 
ors of the Californian. As *to the ship, was it Captain 
John’s ? Yes, for the carvings recognized on this fragment 


ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY. 127 

resembled those which ornamented the cutwater of the 
Franklin. 

Such was the opinion arrived at in San Diego. No doubt 
whatsoever did the builders entertain on the point. The 
teakwood used for this cutwater had come out o.f their 
shipyard. They even found marks of an iron bolt, which 
fastened the cutwater to the end of the stem, and the re- 
mains of a coat of red paint, with a golden border, on the 
foliage carved on the fore part. 

It was but too evident the piece of timber brought back by 
the Californian was part and parcel of Mr. Andrew’s ship, 
so uselessly looked for in the Malay basin. 

This point once settled, the explanation suggested by 
Captain Ellis was more likely thaii ever : since the Frank- 
lin had been seen in the Java Sea, southwest of the Celebes 
Islands, she must of necessity have been carried away, a 
few days later, through the Sunda Strait, or some other 
strait opening on the Timor or the Arafoura Sea, and struck 
against the rocks on the coast of Australia. 

The sending off of a vessel to explore the basin contained 
between the Sunda Islands and the north coast of Australia 
was therefore entirely justified. Would this expedition 
succeed any better than the one to the Philippines, Celebes, 
and Moluccas ? There was reason to hope it would. 

This time, Mrs. Branican thought of personally joining 
the expedition and embarking on the Dolly's Hope. But 
William Andrew and Captain Ellis, with Zach Fren’s help, 
succeeded in dissuading her, though not without difficulty. 
A voyage of this kind, which might be very long, perhaps, 
could have been compromised by the presence of a woman 
on board. 

Needless to say that Zach Fren was taken on the Dolly's 
Hope as boatswain, and Captain Ellis made every prepara- 
tion to set sail with the least possible delay. 


128 


MISTRESS BR AMI CAN. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

EXPLORING THE TIMOR SEA. 

I T was on the 3d of April, 1882, at ten o’clock in the 
morning, that the Dolly's Hope left the port of San 
Diego. 

Once clear of the coast of America, the gallant ship 
plowing her way across the broad Pacific, her officers 
naturally bent their thoughts on that mysterious west to 
which they were speeding. 

“ There is no other way I can explain it,” remarked the 
captain for the twentieth time. “ The Franklin must have 
been helplessly driven out of her course by the currents. 
Or else, why would she have turned down into the strait, 
when she was bound for Singapore, right in the opposite 
direction ? ” 

“ It’s a puzzler to me,” said the second officer. “If that 
plank had been picked up in the Indian Sea, we might sup- 
pose they were wrecked somewhere on the Sunda Islands, 
or the west coast of Australia.” 

“ But it’s up by Melville Island it was picked up, which 
means that the Franklin went down in the Arafoura Sea 
close to Torres Strait, or even in the strait itself.” 

“ There might be back currents along the Australian 
coast that could have driven the plank toward the strait,” 
observed Zach Fren. “ If so, the trouble might easily have 
been in the west of the Arafoura Sea.” 

“We shall see,” replied Captain Ellis. “Meanwhile, let 
us steer as if the Franklin had split on the reefs in Torres 
Strait.” 

“ And if we steer right,” added the boatswain, “ you bet 
we’ll find Captain John.” 

On the whole, this was the best course to adopt ; and it 
was done accordingly. 














































































































































* 




















































































• *» • /J . 










































NKVl\ .v&j la hf§7r Wiy y --jZtPt 

y&Zufiflwd' '•• •£,/, mi£ 


L&ffl 

li‘ ,f JlSJtt’ '/ J| 


SPillml 

WmM mmm 

S|mS 

^/rWrA 4^8 

Hi 


fc£pM~f4DfVL.’\l * r. (X> uMifl ,• * * ^ 



b| 

ufffl c ; 


NH 

•*jg| 

Epp 14 


“ There is no other Way I can explain it 


f) 


(/. 128). 





EXPLORING THE TIMOR SEA. 


129 


The breadth of this Torres Strait is estimated at some 
thirty miles. It is hard for those who have not seen it to 
imagine the multitude of its islets and reefs, the position of 
which is but approximately set down by the best geogra- 
phers. There are at least 900, most of them on a level 
with the water, and the largest not exceeding three or four 
miles in circumference. 

They are inhabited by tribes of Andamens, at whose 
hands no captain need expect any mercy, as was shown by 
the massacre of the crews of the Chesterfield and the Hor- 
muzier. They travel from one islet to the other on their 
light pirogues, or flying proas, of Malay construction, and 
thus journey without difficulty from New Guinea to Aus- 
tralia or vice versa. If, therefore, Captain John and his 
men had been cast on one of these rocks, they could easily 
have reached the coast of Australia and thence made their 
way homeward. But, as not one of them had given sign of 
life, the only plausible hypothesis was that they had fallen a 
prey to the natives ; and, as we said, the luckless prisoners 
of these savage tribes are cruelly butchered, and ultimately 
devoured, thus leaving behind them no trace of their horri- 
ble fate. 

Over such topics did Captain Ellis and his men muse and 
talk on* the deck of the Dolly's Hope. This must have been 
the fate of the survivors of the Franklin , if she had been 
wrecked in the Torres Strait. There was, of course, a 
chance of the ship not having entered the fatal strait ; but 
in that case, how were they to explain the finding of her 
cutwater off Melville Island ? 

Fearlessly, though with all due caution, Captain Ellis 
entered the formidable passes. With a good steamer, 
watchful officers, a brave and cool-minded crew, he had 
every hope of getting through this maze of breakers and 
keeping in awe any natives who might attack him. 

When, for some motive or other, a vessel enters into 


130 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


Torres Strait, its mouth being studded with coral banks on 
the Pacific side, she naturally prefers hugging the Austra- 
lian coast ; but, in the south of Papua Gulf, there lay a fair- 
sized island which our party should needs explore. 

The Dolly's Hope , accordingly, shaped her course between 
the two dangerous rocks known as Eastern Fields and Boot 
Reef. The conformation of the latter, seen from a dis- 
tance, is not unlike a disabled ship, and a thrill of emotion 
ran through the men at the thought that they might be face 
to face with the wreck of the Franklin ; this feeling, how- 
ever, was but of short duration, as they were soon enabled to 
ascertain that what stood before their eyes was but a fan- 
tastic conglomeration of coraliferous masses. 

Several canoes, mere trunks of trees hollowed out by 
burning or with the hatchet, and kept in equilibrium on the 
water by means of balancing poles, were perceived in the 
vicinity of Murray Island, paddled by five or six natives. 
The latter, however, indulged in nothing worse than cries, 
or rather veritable howls, such as are uttered by wild beasts, 
and the Dolly's Hope was able to finish her trip round the 
whole island without meeting with any aggression. 

Nowhere could the debris of any wreck be discovered ; 
no living soul on the larger islands or on the islets but 
swarthy natives, with muscular frames, woolly, red-painted 
hair, glossy skin, and large but not flattened noses. And 
here and there, under the cocoa trees, thousands of which 
luxuriate in these parts, groups of them might be seen 
brandishing their spears, their bows and arrows, by way of 
expressing their hostile sentiments to the visitors. 

A fresh supply of coal having been taken on board at 
Somerset port in Northern Australia, Captain Ellis spent a 
whole month — until the ioth bf June — in anxious search 
between the Gulf of Carpentaria and New Guinea. He 
called at Mulgrave, Banks, Horn, and Albany islands, at 
Booby Island, honeycombed with dark caverns, in one of 


EXPLORING THE TIMOR SEA. 13 1 

which has been placed the “ letter-box ” of the Torres 
Strait. Here, it may be observed, seafaring people do not 
call for the sole purpose of leaving their letters, the collec- 
tion of which is anything but regular, needless to say. A 
kind of international convention requires the ships of the 
various trading countries to deposit coals and provisions on 
this island as they pass by ; nor is there any fear of these 
stores being pillaged by the natives, for the violence of the 
currents forbids their landing in their frail canoes. 

On several occasions, by dint of coaxing them with little 
presents of no value whatever, our party was enabled to 
communicate with the mados or chieftains of these isles. 
They, in their turn, presented the strangers with Kaisos, or 
turtle shells, and incras , small shells strung together, which 
they use as money. Unable to understand a word of their 
language, or to make themselves understood by them, the 
sailors found it impossible to ascertain whether they had 
any knowledge of a wreck the date of which might per- 
chance coincide with the disappearance of the Franklin. 
In any case, the Andamens did not seem to have in their 
possession any article of American manufacture, be it a 
weapon or a utensil. Not a piece of iron or woodwork, no 
fragment of a mast or a spar could be seen that might 
have come from the breaking up of a ship ; and Captain 
Ellis came away from these parts with the conviction, not 
indeed that the Franklin had not split on the reefs of the 
strait, but at least that they now bore no trace or sign of 
such a calamity. 

The Arafoura Sea was next to be visited, continuing as 
it does the Timor Sea, between the girdle of the islets of 
Sunda on the north, and the Australian coast on the south. 
As to the Gulf of Carpentaria, it was not thought necessary 
to explore it, for a wreck along its coasts could not 
have remained unknown to the settlers of the vicinity. 
It was, on the contrary, to the Arnheim coast that their 


M/STRESS BRAN1CAN. 


132 

attention should now be turned ; then on the homeward 
journey they would take up the northern portion of the 
Timor Sea and the numerous passes that lead into it between 
the islands. 

This voyage along the coast of Arnheim, among thou- 
sands of islets and reefs, did not occupy less than a month. 
The minute zeal with which the search was carried on was 
only equaled by the fearless bravery it brought into play, 
gtill, from the western extremity of the Gulf of Carpentaria 
away to Van Diemen’s Gulf, not a vestige of information 
was gathered, either from the Australian cannibals (and 
from them but little was expected) or from the Chinese 
engaged in the tripang trade on these seas. 

On the nth of July, under the 130th degree of longitude, 
Captain Ellis commenced his exploration of Melville and 
Bathurst islands, separated from each other by a somewhat 
narrow pass. It was within ten miles north of this spot that 
the Franklin's cutwater had been picked up. To explain its 
having drifted no farther west, it was to be supposed that the 
currents had loosened it from the reefs a short time only 
before the arrival of the Californian. It was therefore 
possible that they were now nearing the scene of the 
catastrophe. 

Four months were spent here, visiting not only the two 
islands, but the Arnheim coast up to Queen’s Channel and 
even to the mouth of the Victoria River. 

It had been a hard task to push on into the interior ; 
indeed, the great dangers in perspective did not seem com- 
pensated by the slightest hope of success. The tribes fre- 
quenting the north of the Australian continent are truly 
formidable foes, and, at one of the ports at which he had 
called, our captain had just heard of a recent instance of 
cannibalism in these parts. The crew of a Dutch boat, the 
Groningen , allured by false demonstrations of friendship on 
fhe part of the natives of Bathurst. Island, had been mas- 


EXPLORING THE TIMOR SEA. 133 

sacred and devoured by those wild beasts — is not this the 
only designation suited to them ? 

Yet, if Captain Ellis should entertain no hope of learning 
when and where the crew of the Franklin had fallen into 
the hands of the savages, he might still be able to find 
some indication of the wreck itself. And in this thought 
he was encouraged by the fact that barely eight months 
had now elapsed since the Californian had come across 
the tale-telling waif, north of Melville Island. 

His efforts and those of his worthy crew were therefore 
directed to each and every bay and creek and reef along 
this coast, regardless of the toil, or of the perils that beset 
them. Many a time did the Dolly's Hope narrowly escape 
splitting on .invisible or unknown breakers; many a time 
also had her sailors to use their guns and their hatchets to 
save her from being attacked or even positively boarded by 
the natives. 

But with no better success did they labor here than they 
had done in Torres Strait. No result in any shape had 
been obtained ; it was now the 3d of November ; what 
course was yet open ? 

Did Captain Ellis consider his mission fulfilled, at least 
in so far as the Australian coast and the dependent islands 
were concerned ? Should he now think of sailing home- 
ward after he had visited the smaller islands of the Sunda 
in the north of the Timor Sea? In a word, did he feel, in 
his heart and conscience, he had done all that man could 
do ? 

It is easy to understand how the brave sailor. hesitated to 
look upon his task as completed even after pursuing it to 
the coast of Australia. 

A mere incident put an end to his hesitation. 

On the morning of the 4th he was pacing the deck abaft, 
with Zach Fren, when the latter drew his attention to certain 
objects floating about half a mile from the ship. They 


134 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


were not logs of wood, broken planks, or trunks of trees, 
but enormous bundles of yellowish weeds uprooted from the 
depths of the sea and now following the contours of the 
coast line. 

“ That’s a strange thing,” remarked Fren. “ May I be 
a darky if those weeds don’t come from the west, or even the 
southwest ! There must be a current sucking them into 
that blamed strait ! ” 

“ Sure enough,” replied the captain ; “ it must be some 
local current flowing east, unless it be the backing of the 
tide.” 

“ I don’t believe it is, for, now I think of it, at break of day 
this morning I saw more of those weeds on that very same 
tack.” 

“ Are you sure, friend ? ” 

“As sure as I am that we’ll find Captain John some day 
yet.” 

“ And if that current is there, might not the Franklin's 
cutwater have drifted from the west along the coast of 
the continent just like those weeds ? ” 

“Just what I’m thinking, Captain.” 

“ That settles that point, Zach. We must keep on search- 
ing the coast, right through the Timor Sea, and on to the 
farthest point of Western Australia.” 

The second officer was called up and consulted on the 
advisability of sailing farther westward. 

He was of opinion that the very existence of this local 
current ordered them to push on at least as far as where the 
current began. 

“Well, then, set her west,” said the captain. “ May-bes, 
and perhaps , and the like won’t do ; we must have something 
definite to bring home to San Diego, and that is the certainty 
that there is nothing left of the Franklin , if it be that she 
was lost on this coast ! ” 

And accordingly the Dolly's Hope went back to Timor 




EXPLORING THE TIMOR SEA. 


J 3S 


Island to renew her stock of coal ; then, after a stay of 
forty-eight hours, she retraced her course toward Cape 
Londonderry, at the extremity of Western Australia. 

On leaving Queen’s Channel, all efforts were made to fol- 
low all the contours of the continent from Turtle Point as 
close as possible. Here the course of the current from west 
to east was evident to the eye. It was not one of those 
tidal waves that change with the ebb and the flow, but a 
permanent streaming of the waters in the direction j ust stated. 
There was good cause, therefore, to sail up this current at 
least as far as the limit of the Indian Ocean, as suggested 
by the second officer. 

At the mouth of the Gulf of Cambridge, which bathes the 
foot of Mount Cockburn, Captain Ellis deemed it imprudent 
to venture with his ship into this wedge-shaped funnel, 
bristling with breakers and frequented by none but canni- 
bals. The steam sloop, with half a dozen well-armed men, 
under command of Zach Fren, was therefore sent alone into 
the gulf. 

“ It is very plain,” remarked the captain, “ that if Brani- 
can and his men fell into the claws of these brutes, we can- 
not expect any of them to have escaped ; but what we must 
know is whether there are still any remnants of the Frank- 
lin, in the event of the natives having broken her up in this 
gulf of theirs.” 

“ They are none too good for that, I guess,” answered 
the boatswain. 

His mission had been clearly laid out for him, and he 
carried it out with the utmost zeal and circumspection. But 
having gone as far as Adolphus Island, almost the farthest 
point in the gulf inland, and sailed round it, he discovered 
nothing to induce him to push on farther. 

The Dolly s Hope resumed her course therefore, past Cape 
Dussejour, and on to the northeast, always hugging the coast 
of Western Australia. The islands here, also, are numerous, 


136 


MISTRESS BRA MIC A AT. 


and the bays and creeks carved out in many a capricious 
zigzag, but neither at Cape Rhuliers nor at Cape London- 
derry did the never-failing intrepidity of the noble crews 
meet with any reward. 

Nor had they experienced the full measure of their fatigues 
and dangers until they cleared Cape Londonderry. From 
that point, the coast is exposed directly to the mighty blows 
of the Indian Ocean, and few indeed are the available spots 
where a ship in distress might seek a shelter from the bil- 
lows. Now a steamer is always and ever at the mercy of 
her machinery, and it may break down when she pitches and 
rolls and battles with a raging sea. 

The numberless islets, reefs, and shallows our sailors en- 
countered between this promontory and Collier Bay, in the 
York Sund and in Brunswick Bay, painfully reminded them 
of Torres Strait. 

At Talbot and Bougainville capes, the surf is such that 
the coast is positively inaccessible save to the native canoes, 
rendered well-nigh uncapsizable by their balancing poles. 
Admiralty Bay, between Cape Bougainville and Cape Vol- 
taire, is so thickly strewn with breakers that the steam sloop 
was more than once on the point of being lost. And still our 
sailors plodded on with a courage and pluck truly worthy 
of a better fate. 

And now Captain Ellis ventured forth through the Buc- 
caneer Archipelago, intending to go no farther than Cape 
L^veque, the utmost limit of the King Sund, to the north- 
east. 

Not, indeed, that the climate caused him any anxiety ; on 
the contrary, each day brought an improvement in this re- 
spect. In this part of the Indian Ocean, lying in the Aus- 
tral hemisphere, the months of October and November cor- 
respond to the months of April and May in the northern 
hemisphere. The fine season was felt gradually approach- 
ing and the expedition might have been carried farther under 



Brandishing their Spears, their Bows and Arrows 130) 



EXPLORING THE TIMOR SEA. 


137 


rather favorable conditions. But it could not go on indefi- 
nitely ; and it should come to an end, as previously agreed 
upon, at the point where the current by which the debris of 
a wreck might be carried east toward Melville Island would 
cease to be felt. 

And this fact was ascertained at the end of the month of 
January, 1883, when they had explored — unsuccessfully as 
heretofore — the wide estuary of the King Sund, into which 
flows the Fitz Roy River. 

At the mouth of this important river our party had had to 
withstand a terrific onslaught on the part of the natives, and 
two of the men had sealed their bravery with their blood. 
True, their wounds were not of a dangerous character, but 
Captain Ellis’s undaunted coolness had alone saved the crew 
from wholesale slaughter. 

As soon as she had got clear of the King Sund, the Dolly's 
Hope cast anchor off Cape Leveque, and the captain held a 
council with his second officer and the boatswain. The maps 
were once more carefully studied and it was finally resolved 
that the expedition should end at this very point, on the 
eighteenth parallel of the southern hemisphere. Beyond 
the King Sund, the coast is clear ; the islands are but few, 
and the portion of Tasmania which this coast bounds on 
the Indian Ocean is still a blank on the most recent maps. 
There was therefore no interest in going farther southwest 
or in visiting Dampier’s Archipelago. 

Besides, the coal was getting scarce ; it was best to lose* 
no time in reaching Batavia, where a fresh supply could be 
taken aboard ; thence they would sail east toward the Pacific 
through the Timor Sea, along the islands of the Sunda. 

Accordingly the Dolly's Hope was set north, and soon 
lost sight of the Australian coast. 


138 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

BROWSE ISLAND. 

I ^HE space comprised between the northwestern coast 
of Australia, and the western part of the Timor Sea, 
reckons no important islands. The geographers mention 
no more than a few islets. What are found in those parts 
are those strange sea-bottom coral growths, designated by 
such suffixes as “ banks,” “ rocks,” “ riffs,” or “ shoals,” such 
as Lynher Riff, Scott’s Riff, Seringapatam Riff, Korallen 
Riff, Courtier Shoal, Hibernia Shoal, Sahul Bank, Echo 
Rock, etc. The position of these dangerous spots is marked 
accurately for the greater part, approximatively for the 
others. It may be, indeed, that many more of these 
treacherous rocks, now barely concealed from view by the 
waves, have yet to be discovered. Sailing is therefore a 
somewhat difficult task, and requires constant watchfulness 
on these seas that are sometimes' crossed by ships on their 
way from India. 

The weather was fine, the sea calm outside the breakers. 
The excellent machinery of the Dolly's Hope had not 
got out of order since her departure from San Diego, 
and her boilers were in splendid condition. Everything, 
the sea and the weather, combined to favor a speedy 
voyage across to Cape Leveque and Java Island. In any 
case they were homeward bound now ! No delay would 
now occur but the few stops Captain Ellis intended to 
make to further explore the smaller islands of the Sunda. 

During the first few days after leaving Cape Leveque, 
nothing took place worth noting. The greatest vigilance 
was recommended to the men on lookout. From their 
posts up in the masts they were to signal, from as far off as 
possible, any shoal or reef that might be ahead. 

Qn the 7th of February, about nine o’clock in the morn- 


BROWSE ISLAND. 139 

in g, one of the sailors, perched up in the foreyards, cried 
out : 

“ Rocks ahead ; larboard side ! ” 

As this rock could not yet be seen by the men on deck, 
Zach Fren clambered up the shrouds to find out for himself 
its exact position. 

From this observatory the boatswain was able to see 
distinctly a rocky plateau, six miles out to larboard. In 
reality, it was neither a rock nor a shoal, but positively 
an island, the saddle-back shape of which stood out on the 
northwest horizon. And, taking the distance into consider- 
ation, this island should be of a certain size, if what was 
then visible was its width. 

A few minutes later Zach Fren came down and made his 
report to Captain Ellis, who immediately ordered the ship 
to be luffed a quarter, so as to get near the island. 

After taking his midday observations, the captain noted 
in the logbook that the Dolly's Hope was then in 14 0 7' lati- 
tude south, and 133 0 13' longitude east. This position 
being made out on the map, coincided with an island desig- 
nated by the name of Browse Island by modern geographers 
and situated at about 250 miles from York Sund on the 
Australian coast. 

Since this island lay almost on his course, Captain Ellis 
determined to go around it, although he had no intention 
of stopping there. 

At one o’clock in the afternoon the Dolly's Hope was but 
a mile distant from Browse Island. The sea was rather 
rough and angry. A cloud of spray enshrouded a kind of 
cape stretching out toward the northeast. The size of the 
island could not yet be ascertained, as it could only be 
viewed obliquely. In any case, it presented the appear- 
ance of an undulating plateau, void of any elevation visible 
on its surface. 

However, as time was precious, Captain Ellis, after 


140 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


slackening speed a little, was about giving the command 
to the engineer to go ahead, when Zach Fren called to 
him. 

“ Captain, look out there ! Isn’t that a mast sticking up 
on the cape ? ” 

And the boatswain stretched his hand in the direction of 
the cape, which terminated abruptly in a steep rock at its 
northeastern extremity. 

“ A mast ? No ! It looks like the trunk of a tree,” re- 
plied the captain. 

Then taking his glass, he looked more attentively at the 
object pointed out to him. 

“ After all, you are right, bos’n ! ” said he. “ It is a mast 
and I think I can see a bit of bunting all tattered by the 
wind. Yes ! Yes ! It must be a signal ! ” 

“ Then we might do well to get close to,” said the boat- 
swain. 

“ That’s my opinion,” said the captain. 

And he gave the order to bear on Browse Island, and to 
keep a good lookout. 

This command was immediately put into effect. The 
Dolly's Hope gradually approached the rocks that sur- 
rounded the island a few hundred feet off the coast. The 
sea was beating against them with rage, not so much on 
account of the wind as because the currents drove the 
waves in that direction. 

Soon the details of the coast could be seen with the naked 
eye. It seemed to be wild, barren, desolate, without a ves- 
tige of verdure. Here wide gaping caverns re-echoed the 
rumbling of the tide with a noise of thunder, there a patch 
of yellow sand broke the monotony of the rocks ; above 
swarmed flocks of sea birds. On this side no trace of a 
wreck could be perceived, no broken masts, or remains of a 
hull. The mast planted on the extremity of the rock was 
very probably a fragment of a bowsprit ; as to the faded 










BROWSE ISLAND. 


141 

bunting, the ragged remnants of which were flying in the 
breeze, it was impossible to recognize its original color. 

“ There are shipwrecked folks there,” exclaimed Zach 
Fren. 

“ Or may be there have been some ! ” said the mate. 

“ It’s very plain,” said Captain Ellis, “ that some ship or 
other ran slap on to this island.” 

“ And what’s just as plain,” added the mate, “is that the 
sailors took refuge on it, since they rigged up that mast as 
a signal, and maybe they are on it still, for it’s very unusual 
for ships bound for Australia or India to pass this way.” 

“ I suppose you mean to go ashore, Captain ? ” inquired 
Zach Fren. 

“ If we can, bos’n ; I have not seen a place where we 
could land yet. Before making up our minds let us go 
around it. If it is still inhabited by castaways they can’t 
but see us, and they’ll signal to us.” 

“ And suppose we don’t see a soul, what are you thinking 
of dbing ? ” asked Fren. 

“ We’ll go ashore as soon as we find a landing place. 
Even if there is nobody on.it now, we migh£ find some 
remnants of a wreck on the island, and that would be 
something gained on our present errand.” 

“ And who knows ” murmured Zach. 

“ Who knows what ? Do you mean to say, bos’n, that 
the Franklin could have been thrown on Browse Island, 
right out of the course she ought to have been on ? ” 

“Why not, Captain ? ” 

“ Well, I don’t think it the least likely,” said Captain 
Ellis, “ but we must not stop at that. Of course we’ll try 
and get a landing ! ” 

The proposed sail around the island was at once put into 
execution. By keeping, for safety’s sake, a cable’s length 
from the rocks, the Dolly's Hope had soon rounded the 
several promontories stretching out north of the island. 


142 


MISTRESS BRANlCAN. 


The aspect of the coast was still the same — the rocks 
drawn up in rows as though they had been crystalized in 
that almost identical shape, the same seabeaten shore and 
spray-covered reefs which rendered a landing impracticable. 
In the background a few clumps of cocoanut trees over- 
topping a rocky plateau on which no sign of culture was 
visible. No inhabitants. No habitations. Not a sloop, 
not a fishing boat. A desert sea and a desert island. 
Numerous flocks of seagulls, flying from rock to rock, were 
the only signs of life in this gloomy solitude. 

Although it was not the ideal island of shipwrecked sea- 
men, where the necessaries of life are assured, this spot 
might at least have afforded shelter to the survivors of 
some wreck. 

Browse Island measures about six or seven miles in cir- 
cumference ; this much was ascertained when the Dolly's 
Hope had completed the circuit. In vain did the crew 
look for the mouth of some haven, or, in lieu of a haven, 
a creek between the rocks where the steamer could ride in 
safety, at least for a few hours. It soon became evident 
that a landing could only be. effected by using one of the 
ship’s boats ; and even then, a landing place should be 
found. 

It was two o’clock in the afternoon before the Dolly's 
Hope got to the leeward of the island. As the wind now 
came from the northwest, the rush of the waves against the 
shore was not so violent. Just here, the coast, describing 
a wide concavity, made a kind of open bay, in which a 
vessel might ride at anchor without danger so long as the 
wind did not change its quarter. It was then decided that 
the Dolly's Hope should remain there, if not at anchor, at 
least, almost at a standstill, while her steam launch would 
go ashore. There remained to be found a place where the 
men could find a footing amid those rocks, whitened with 
the foam of the surf, 






The Boat ventured into the narrow Pass (/. 143). 




BROWSE ISLAND. 


143 


By dint of searching the coast with his glass, Captain 
Ellis at last found a depression of the plateau, a kind of 
cleft made into the island, through which a stream poured 
itself into the sea. 

After looking in his turn, Zach Fren affirmed that a land- 
ing could be made at the foot of this cleft. The coast 
seemed to be less steep in this part and its surface was in- 
dented by a pretty sharp angle. A narrow passage could 
also be discerned across the reef, over which the sea did 
not break. 

In half an hour the launch was ready, and the captain 
embarked along with Zach Fren, a helmsman, a gaff man, a 
stoker, and an engineer. For prudence sake, two rifles, two 
hatchets, and a few revolvers were put aboard. During the 
captain’s absence, the second officer was to maneuver the 
Dolly's Hope in the bay and to give his attention to any signal 
that might be made from the shore. 

At half-past two the-boat pushed off, made for the shore, 
a good mile distant, and soon ventured into the narrow pass, 
while thousands of sea gulls filled the air with their piercing 
cries. A few minutes later, it ran smoothly on a sandy 
beach intersected with sharp ridges. Captain Ellis, Zach 
Fren, and the two sailors went ashore, leaving the engineer 
and stoker in charge of the launch, which was to be kept 
with full steam up. Then having climbed the ravine through 
which the stream flowed down to the sea, the four men 
reached the level of the plateau. 

A few hundred steps ahead of them stood a sort of rocky 
mound of peculiar shape, the summit of which rose a 
hundred feet above the beach. 

Captain Ellis and his companions immediately made their 
way to this rock, ascended it, not without great difficulty, 
and they were now able to descry the whole island from 
this elevated ground. 

It was, in reality, but an oval mass, not unlike the back 


144 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


of a tortoise, the tail of which would have been represented 
by the promontory. A thin coat of soil covered this mass 
here and there ; it was not of madreporic formation like the 
attolons of the Malay seas or the coral groups in the Torres 
Strait ; now and again patches of green appeared between 
the layers of granite ; but there was more moss than grass, 
more stone than roots, more brushwood than shrubs. 
Whence came this creek, whose course, visible for a certain 
distance, meandered across the slopes of the plateau. Was it 
the outpour of some interior spring ? It would have been 
hard to tell, although the view extended as far as the mast 
bearing the signal of distress. 

From the top of this mound the four men turned their 
eyes in every direction. No smoke curled up into the air, 
not a human being appeared anywhere. The inevitable 
conclusion was that if Browse Island had been inhabited — 
and of that there was no doubt — it was very unlikely to be 
so at present. 

“ Poor kind of place to be cast on ! ” observed Captain 
Ellis. “ If the unfortunate people were kept here any length 
of time, I wonder what they can have lived on ! ” 

“You are right there,” said Zach Fren, “ a flat place and 
a very bare one. Just a dozen trees for the look of 
the thing, and a handful of soil sprinkled over the stones. 
Anyhow, you must not be too exacting when you’re 
wrecked ! A lump of rock under your feet is a sight better 
than no footing at all and water over your head ! ” 

“ It is so, at first,” said the captain ; “ but afterward ! ” 

“ Besides,” continued Zach, “the men who took refuge 
on this island may have been picked up before long by 
some vessel.” 

“ Just the same as they may have died of starvation.” 

“ And what makes you think so, Captain ? ” 

“ Just this : if they had been able to leave the island in 
some way or another, they would have taken the precau- 




. 























































































































































































55F^b! 

- j." '/ {M* 





Js 

R_Sy^ » *-> F irwfjrtyC’A . i'. ’ y ^ 

v //J* 4jP*f5i 



Wm ; F* 

,'jWh# ~'tw - 


HHifa /‘'.'yV; 


The Party went down again (/. 145) 










BROWSE ISLAND. 


145 

tion to knock down their signal of distress. That’s why I 
am afraid the last of these unfortunate men died before any 
help came to him. Anyhow, let us push on to the mast. 
Perhaps we will be able to find out some sign of the nation- 
ality of the ship.” 

The party thereupon went down the side of the rock 
again, and began walking in the direction of the headland. 
But they had hardly gone a hundred steps when one of 
the sailors stooped to pick up an object he had just knocked 
with his foot. 

“ Hello, what’s that ? ” said he. 

“ Let me see ! ” said Fren. 

It was the blade of a cutlass, such as sailors wear in their 
belts, incased in a leathern sheath. This blade, broken off 
at the handle and all notched, had no doubt been thrown 
away as useless. 

“ Well, bos’n ? ” inquired the captain. 

“ I am looking for some mark that would show where this 
blade came from, sir.” 

It was of course possible that it should bear a trade 
mark, but it had become so oxidized that a thick coat of 
rust had first to be scraped off. 

This Zach soon accomplished, and ultimately managed to 
decipher two words engraved on the steel : “ Sheffield, 

England.” 

This cutlass was then of English make. But to conclude 
therefrom that the castaways were English would have been 
too hasty. Why might not this weapon have belonged to 
a sailor of any other nationality, seeing that the products of 
Sheffield are scattered the world over? If some other 
article was found this supposition might perchance be 
changed into a certainty. 

Captain Ellis and his men continued on further toward 
the headland. Over this trackless ground, walking was no 
easy task. Admitting that it had been once trodden by the 


146 


MISTRESS BRAN/CAM. 


foot of man it must have been at some remote date, for all 
traces of footmarks had disappeared under the grass and 
moss. 

After a tramp of a couple of miles, they stopped near a 
clump of cocoanut trees, very weakly trees indeed, the nuts 
of which had long since fallen to the ground, and were now 
so much dust and rottenness. 

Hitherto no other object had been picked up ; but a few 
paces from this clump, on the slope of a little valley, some 
signs of culture could be made out in the midst of this 
brushwood-entangled wilderness. What was left of it con- 
sisted of some yams and batatas, that had almost returned 
to the wild state. A spade was lying under some thick 
brambles, where one of the sailors discovered it by chance. 
It seemed to be of American make, by the look of the iron 
haft, which was deeply embedded with rust. 

“ What do you think of it, Captain ?” asked the boat- 
swain. 

“ I think that we can say nothing positive yet,” replied 
the captain. 

“ Let’s come along a bit farther, then,” said Zach Fren, 
beckoning to the two men to follow him. 

After going down the side of the plateau, they came to 
the neck which joined the promontory to the mainland. 
At this spot a narrow channel, furrowed in the ridge of the 
rock, enabled them to reach more easily the level of a 
sandy beach below. This beach, covering about an acre, 
was encased with reddish brown rocks, which seemed 
forever beaten by the waves. 

On this sand lay a number of articles, showing that hu- 
man beings had lived for a considerable time on this part of 
the island — bits of glass, or earthenware, broken pots, 
iron bolts, empty preserved meat tins, the American 
manufacture of which there was no doubting, this time ; 
several objects used at sea, some fragments of chains, split 


BROWSE ISLAND. 


147 


rings, tips of rigging in galvanized iron, a twisted ring, the 
handle of a pump, fragments of spars and spare yards, iron 
plates torn from a water-tank, on the origin of which the 
Californian sailors could not be mistaken. 

“ That never came out of an English ship,” said the cap- 
tain ; “ that vessel belonged to the States.” 

“ And you could almost swear she was built in one 
of our Pacific ports ! ” added Zach Fren, whose opinion was 
shared by the two sailors. 

In any case, up to the present, nothing justified them in 
believing that the ill-fated ship was the Franklin. 

One question, however, suggested itself : had this ship, 
whatever was her name, gone down in the open sea (as nei- 
ther her frame nor the planks of her hull were in sight any- 
where), and had the crew managed to reach Browse Island 
in her long boats ? 

No ! It was not long ere Captain Ellis acquired proof 
evident that the wreck had taken place on these reefs. 

A hundred steps away from the beach, in a chaotic heap 
of sharp rocks and breakers, appeared that woeful skeleton 
of a vessel that is dashed ashore when the billows rush 
on her with the force of a gigantic bore, and when in an 
instant her whole frame, whether of wood or of iron, is 
broken asunder, crushed to pieces, scattered and hurled by 
the tide over the very summit of the reefs. 

The four men looked with no trifling emotion on what 
the rocks still preserved of the disaster. Of the hull there 
remained a few shapeless ribs, some shivered planks, brist- 
ling with broken bolts, some bent iron bars, a piece of the 
rudder, a few stakes belonging to the deck, but none of the 
outside riggings, none of the masts, whether they had been 
broken off at sea, or used after the wreck to make huts on 
the island. Not a rib had remained intact, not one piece of 
the keel had been left whole. In the presence of those 
granite spikes, which reminded one of a fence of chevaux 


148 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


de frise , it seemed no wonder the vessel had been so utterly 
destroyed that none of its debris could be of any use. 

u Let us look,” said Captain Ellis, “ perhaps we may find 
a name, a letter, a mark of some kind that will tell us the 
nationality of this ship.” 

“ Yes ! and God grant that it is not the Franklin that has 
been reduced to such a state ! ” added Zach Fren. 

But was there such a sign as the captain wished for ? 
Even though the waves had so far respected the aft panel, 
or the fore armor, where the name of a ship is generally 
found, would not the inclemency of the weather and the 
spray from the shore have obliterated it ? 

As a matterof fact, nothing was discovered, neither armor 
nor panel. The search proved fruitless, and even though 
some of the objects picked up were undoubtedly of Ameri- 
can make, nothing showed positively that they belonged to 
the missing ship. 

But if several men had taken refuge on Browse Island, — 
and the flagpost stuck on the headland showed it, — if they 
had lived on this island for a length of time that could not now 
be ascertained, they must have taken shelter in some cave 
near the beach, so as to be able to use the remnants of the 
wreck accumulated on the rocks. 

Before long one of the sailors found the cave that had 
been occupied by the shipwrecked men. It was hollowed 
in an enormous mass of granite, in the angle formed by the 
plateau and the shore. 

Captain Ellis and the boatswain hastened to the sailor’s 
call. Perhaps this cavern contained the secret of the dis- . 
aster. Perhaps it would tell them the name of the ship. 

The only way to penetrate into it was by a low and nar- 
row opening, near which lay a heap of ashes. Here, outside 
their cave, they had made the campfire ; the rocky wall was 
still blackened with the smoke. 

Inside, the cavern might have been ten feet high, twenty 


BROWSE ISLAND. 


149 


long, and fifteen wide ; it was large enough to accommodate 
a dozen people. Its whole furniture consisted of a litter of 
dried grass, covered over with a ragged sail, a bench made 
with bits of planks, two stools of the same make, a rickety 
table from the ship — probably from the captain’s cabin. 
By way of intensils, a few tin plates and dishes, three forks, 
two spoons, a knife, three metal drinking cups, all red with 
rust. In one corner was d barrel standing on end, which 
must have been used to keep the water they fetched from 
the creek. On the table, a ship’s lamp, knocked out of 
shape and rusty, which had proved utterly useless no doubt. 
Here and there a few kitchen utensils, and, near the bed of 
grass, some tattered garments. 

“Poor wretches!” sighed Zach Fren, “what hardships 
they must have gone through while they were here ! ” 

“ They had hardly saved anything of any use from the 
ship,” remarked the captain ; “ that shows with what violence 
she must have struck the shore ! Everything smashed up ; 
everything ! What did the poor wretches live on ? Most 
likely a few grains they saved, salt pork and preserved meat 
that they devoured to the last tin ! But what a life, and 
what they must have suffered ! ” 

Yes ! that, along with any fish they may have been able 
to catch, was everything the shipwrecked party must have 
had for their sustenance. As to their being still on the 
island, the thing seemed out of the question. Indeed, if 
they had died on it, it was probable that the remains of the 
last survivor would be found. And still the most minute 
exploration, both inside and outside the cavern, failed to 
give any result. 

“ I’d almost think they managed to get off the island,” 
said Zach Fren. 

“ How could they ?” asked Captain Ellis. “ Could they 
have made a boat big enough to put to sea with the rem- 
nants of their wreck ?” 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AM. 


* 5 ° 

“No, Captain, they hadn’t even enough to make a row- 
ing boat, I should say. What I rather think is that their 
signals may have been seen by some ship.” 

“Well, I can’t believe it, bos’n.” 

“ Why not, sir ? ” 

“ Because, if any vessel had picked them up, the news 
would have spread over the whole world, unless this vessel 
too had gone down — which is< hardly likely. No, I can’t 
get it into my head that they got out of this island in that 
way.” 

“ Very well ! ” answered Zach, who was hard to convince 
against his will. “ But if they were unable to make a sloop 
we are not so sure that all the ship’s boats were lost in the 
wreck, and in that case ” 

“ In that case,” retorted the captain, “ they must have gone 
down ; for I can’t imagine how a ship’s boat could weather 
it all through those hundreds of miles between this and the 
Australian coast ! And you know that no lost crew has 
been heard to have been picked up in these parts.” 

It would have been hard to argue the question further. 
Zach Fren had tact enough to understand it, but, unwilling 
to go without finding out if possible what had become of 
the survivors of the wreck, he ventured to say : 

“ I suppose, Captain, you mean to have a look at the other 
parts of the island ? ” 

“ Yes — as a matter of duty ! ” was the reply ; “ and first 
of all let us take down that flag of distress to save any ship 
coming out of her way, since there is no one left to rescue ! ” 

One last time the beach was thoroughly searched. Then, 
having regained the plateau by way of the ravine they had 
followed on their way down, they bent their steps toward 
the extremity of the headland. 

Soon a short detour became necessary, in order to avoid 
a deep excavation, a sort of stony pond in which the rain- 
water collected, and their way now lay straight before them. 


BROWSE ISLAND . 


ISI 

Suddenly the captain stopped on reaching a spot where 
the ground was marked by four peculiar mounds, parallel 
to each other. Probably this might have escaped his atten- 
tion had not small wooden crosses, crumbling to dust, 
marked each of these mounds. They were graves. Here 
was the cemetery of the unhappy men. 

“ At last,” cried Captain Ellis ; “ now we may learn 
something, perhaps.” 

It surely was no disrespect to the dead to open those 
graves, take out the bodies contained in them, to examine 
the state they were in, and seek in the sacredness of their 
last abode some indication of their nationality. 

The two sailors set to work, and, digging the ground with 
their knives, heaped it up on either side as they went on. 
But a number of years must have gone by since these had 
been buried there, for there remained nothing but bones. 
The captain ordered them to be covered over again, and 
the crosses were replaced on the tombs. 

The question of the shipwreck was far from being re- 
solved. If four men had been buried in this spot, what 
had become of him who had rendered them the last services ? 
And where had he fallen himself when death overtook him ? 
Would not his bones be found blanching on some part of 
the island ? 

Captain Ellis grew hopeless. 

“Shall we never find out the name of this ship?” 
he cried. “ Shall we have to go back to San Diego 
without discovering the remains of the Franklin ; without 
knowing what has become of John Branican and his 
crew ? ” 

“ Why might not this ship be the Franklin ? ” asked one 
of the men. 

“ And why should it be ? ” returned Zach Fren. 

Indeed there was no evidence that the wreck lying on 
the rocks of Browse Island was the Franklin , and it seemed 


MISTRESS BRA MICA AT, 


* 5 * 

as though this second expedition of th t Dolly's Hope was to 
be as utter a failure as the first. 

Captain Ellis remained silent, his eyes bent on that soil 
where the poor castaways had seen the end of their misery 
only with the end of their lives ! Were they countrymen of 
his ? Americans like himself ? Were they those whom the 
Dolly's Hope had come in search of ? 

“To the flagpost ! ” said he. 

Zach and his men followed him, as he went down the 
long rocky slope that joined the headland to the bulk of 
the island. 

It took them twenty minutes to cover the half mile sepa- 
rating them from the signal post, so encumbered was the 
ground with brambles and stones. 

When the captain and his companions came up to the 
mast they found that it was stuck into a deep hole in the 
rock — which explained how it had been able to resist the 
wind and storms for so long. As had already been made 
out with the telescope, this mast — a piece of the bowsprit — 
was a debris of the wreck. 

As to the rag nailed to it, it was only a portion of a sail, 
torn to pieces by the wind, and bearing no indication of 
nationality on it. 

At the captain’s command the two sailors were about to 
knock down the pole, when Zach Fren cried out: 

“ Captain — look — over there ! ” 

“ What is it, bos’n ? ” 

“Why, a bell !” 

Fastened to a frame that was still pretty strong was a 
bell, the handle of which was eaten with rust. 

So the refugees had not been content with rigging up a 
mast and nailing a flag to it. They had brought the ship’s 
bell to the same spot, hoping that it might be heard by some 
vessel passing within sight of the island. But would not 
this bell have the name of the ship to which it belonged 



A Litter of dried Grass 149). 











A LIVING WAIF. 153 

engraved on it, as is the almost universal practice in every 
marine service ? 

Captain Ellis was on ’the point of going over to the frame, 
when he stopped short. 

At the foot of the structure lay a skeleton, or rather a 
mass of bones to which a few rags were yet adhering. 

The survivors who had taken refuge on Browse Island 
were then five in number. Four had died, and the fifth had 
been left by himself. 

Then one day he had left the cave, and dragging himself 
to the far end of the headland he had rung the bell to try 
and make himself heard by a passing ship — and he had 
fallen there, never to rise again. * 

After having a grave made to cover these bones, Captain 
Ellis beckoned to Zach Fren to follow him and examine the 
bell. 

On the bronze had been deeply engraved the still visible 
word and date : 

Franklin. 

1875 - 


CHAPTER XV. 

A LIVING WAIF. 

W HILE the Dolly's Hope was performing her second 
task across the Timor Sea and terminating it in the 
way just narrated, Mrs. Branican, her friends, and the 
families of the lost crew had gone through all the agony of 
suspense. What hopes had been built on that plank picked 
up by the Californian , and acknowledged to have belonged 
to the Franklin ! Would Captain Ellis succeed in discover- 
ing the wreck of the ship on one of the islands of that sea, 
or on some point of the Australian coast? Would he find 


*54 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


John Branican, Harry Felton, and the twelve men under 
them ? Would he bring back to San Diego one or several 
survivors of this catastrophe ? 

Two letters from the search party had reached them 
since the departure of the Dolly's Hope. The first an- 
nounced the unsuccessful result of the exploration of the 
Torres Strait and as far as the limit of the Arafoufa Sea. 
The second related how the Melville and Bathhurst 
Islands had been visited and had shown no trace of the 
Franklin. Mrs. Branican was advised that the search 
would be continued as far as the western part of Australia, 
all along the Timor Sea, among the several archipelagoes 
bordering on Tasmania ; then the Dolly's Hope would re- 
turn, though not until the smaller islands of the Sunda had 
been thoroughly explored and every chance of a successful 
issue had been exhausted. 

No fresh tidings had been received since this letter. 
Several months had worn their weary length along, and now 
from one day to another they were expecting the Dolly's 
Hope to be signaled by the semaphores of San Diego. 

The year 1882 came to a close, and although Captain 
Ellis was not heard of yet, there was no cause for wonder, 
seeing how slow and irregular are postal communications 
across the Pacific Ocean. There was, therefore, no uneasi- 
ness to be felt concerning the ship he commanded, natural 
as was the general feeling of impatience to see her again. 

Still, toward the end of February, William Andrew began 
to think the Dolly's Hope had been away an exceptionally 
long time. Every day a number of people repaired to 
Island Point in the hope of sighting the vessel afar off. As 
soon as she could be seen, and without any need of decipher- 
ing her number, the sailors of San Diego would very soon 
recognize her, were it but by her very gait — just as you 
know a Frenchman from a German, or even an English- 
man from an American. 


* 



The “Franklin's” Bell (/. 152) 







































I 

































* 



































A LIVING AVAIF. 


*55 


At last, on the morning of March 27, the Dolly's Hope 
did come in sight, about nine miles out, coming at full 
speed, under a fresh northwesterly breeze. In an hour’s 
time she would be past the entrance and would have taken 
her place at anchor in the Bay of San Diego. 

The news ran swiftly through the town, and the popula- 
tion was soon out, some on the wharves, others on Island 
Point and Loma Point, to await the vessel. 

Mrs. Branican, William Andrew, and a few friends, desir- 
ous of getting into communication with the returning vessel 
with the least possible delay, took a steam tug to go and 
meet her down the bay. A feeling of intense anxiety op- 
pressed the expectant crowd, and when the tug had passed 
the last wharf on its way out, not a shout was raised. It 
seemed as though, had Captain Ellis been successful in this 
second trip, the news should already have traveled the world 
over. 

Twenty minutes later Mrs. Branican and her party boarded 
the Dolly s Hope. 

A few seconds after they all knew the result of the expe- 
dition. It was at the western limit of Timor Sea, on Browse 
Island, that the Franklin was lost. There it was that the 
survivors of the wreck had taken refuge. There they had 
died ! 

“ All of them ? ” asked Mrs Branican. 

“ All ! ” replied Captain Ellis. 

A gloom spread over San Diego when the Dolly's Hope 
anchored in the middle of the bay, her flag half mast, in 
sign of mourning — in mourning for the Franklin s crew. 

She had left on the 3d of April, 1882 ; it was now the 
27th of March, 1883. Her cruise had lasted nearly twelve 
months — a cruise during which nothing had been left un- 
done. The only result obtained was the crushing of the 
last lingering glimmer of hope. 

During the few minutes Mrs. Branican and Mr. Andrew 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


156 

had been aboard, Captain Ellis had been able to give them 
a summary of the facts he had gathered relative to the 
Franklin's wreck on the reefs of Browse Island. 

Although she was now told that there was no doubt as to 
the fate of Captain John and his companions, Mrs. Branican 
none the less maintained her attitude of old. Not a tear 
burst from her eyes. Not a question did she utter. In 
truth, since the broken debris of the ship had been found 
on this island, since not one survivor remained of those 
who had taken refuge on it, what more could she have 
asked for the present ? A detailed account of the expedi- 
tion would be given her later on. Accordingly, after shak- 
ing hands with Captain Ellis and Zach Fren, she retired to 
the aft of the deck, and there sat, musing with her thought ; 
in spite of so many unanswerable proofs, her spirit was un- 
conquered still ; no widow of John Branican’s did she ac- 
knowledge herself yet ! 

As the Dolly's Hope dropped anchor in the bay, Dolly 
came forward and requested Mr. Andrew, Captain Ellis, and 
Zach Fren to kindly call at Prospect House that same day, 
as she was anzious to hear all the details of their exploration 
across the Torres Strait, Arafoura Sea, and Timor Sea; she 
would expect them in the afternoon. 

A small boat brought her ashore. 

The crowd drew aside respectfully to let her pass as she 
crossed the wharf on her way homeward. 

About three o’clock in the afternoon, Mr. Andrew, Cap- 
tain Ellis, and the boatswain arrived at the cottage and were 
immediately shown into the drawing-room, on the ground 
floor, where Mrs. Branican was awaiting them. 

A map of the North Australian seas was spread on the 
table ; they sat round it, and, on Dolly’s invitation, the cap- 
tain began his account, speaking as though he had the ship’s 
log book under his eyes, relating every single item, touching 
on every incident, and, at times, turning to Zach Fren for 




h • \\ 


* 



Every Day a number of People repaired to Island Point ( p . 154). 


A LIVING WAIF. 


*57 


confirmation of his statement. He even detailed the 
searches and explorations made in the Torres Strait; the 
Arafoura Sea, on Melville and Bathurst islands, among the 
Tasmanian archipelagoes, needless though it was, to say the 
least. But Mrs. Branican showed an interest in the most 
trifling of these minutiae, listening in silence, staring at the 
captain with a gaze that did not flinch for an instant. 

When the narrator came to the episodes on Browse 
Island, he should needs give an account of everything as 
it had taken place, hour by hour, minute by minute, from 
the time the Dolly' s Hope had sighted the flag of distress on 
the top of the headland. Dolly, still motionless save for the 
slight tremor of her hands, saw the diverse incidents in her 
imagination as though they were succeeding each other 
before her eyes : the landing of Captain Ellis and his men at 
the mouth of the creek, the climbing of the rocks, the cutlass 
blade found on the ground, the signs of culture, the 
abandoned spade, the beach covered with the debris of the 
wreck, the remains of the Franklin fastened among the 
rocks, where she had been thrown by some violent storm, 
the cavern in which the shipwrecked men had lived, the 
finding of the four graves, the skeleton of the last of the 
unfortunates lying at the, foot of the flagpost near the 
alarm bell. At this moment, Dolly stood up as though she 
had heard the toll of that bell in the stillness of Prospect 
House. 

And then Captain Ellis, taking a locket from his pocket, 
all tarnished by dampness, handed it to her. 

It was her portrait — a locket with her picture, now half 
effaced, that she had given John on his departure ; and that 
had been found, at the last moment, in a dark corner of the 
cavern. 

And, if this locket was in itself a proof that Captain John 
was one of the five men who had sought shelter on the 
island, was not the conclusion unavoidable that he was 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


158 

among those who had succumbed to the hardships of long 
endured privations? 

On that map of the Australian seas she had so often 
pored over for seven years, Dolly asked to be shown Browse 
Island, an almost imperceptible dot, lost in the immensity 
of the seas. 

“ Had we arrived a few years sooner,” added Captain 
Ellis, “ we might have found them all still alive perhaps, 
John and his companions.” 

“ Yes, perhaps so,” murmured William Andrew, “ and it 
was there the Dolly's Hope should have gone in the first 
place ! But who could have imagined that the Franklin 
would have been wrecked in the Indian Ocean ? ” 

“ Nobody,” replied Captain Ellis, “ judging by the course 
that she was to follow, and did follow, since she was seen 
south of Celebes Island ! Captain John must have lost all 
control over his ship, and then been dragged through the 
Sunda Straits into Timor Sea, and swept on to Browse 
Island.” 

“ There is not a doubt of it ; that’s how it must have 
happened,” added Zach Fren. 

“Captain,” then said Mrs. Branican, “when you looked 
for the Franklm in the Malay Seas you did what anyone 
would have done, although it was Browse Island that 
should have been visited first. Yes — it was ! ” 

Then, as though she wished to possess herself of 
accurate figures wherewith to justify the obstinacy of her 
hopefulness : 

“On board the ship, there were Captain John, the 
mate, Harry Felton, and twelve men. You found on the 
island the remains of four men who had been buried, and 
of a fifth who had died at the foot of the flagpost. What 
think you had become of the nine others?” 

“That we don’t know,” answered Captain Ellis. 

" I am aware you don’t know,” was the persistent reply ; 


A LIVING WAIF. 159 

“ but I ask you : What do you think can have become of 
them ? ” 

“ Perhaps they perished when the Franklin struck the 
rocks.” 

“ You imagine, then, that only five survived the wreck ? ” 

“ It is, unfortunately, the most probable explanation,” 
added Mr.^Andrew. 

“That is not my opinion,” said Mrs. Branican. “Why 
could not John, Felton, and the twelve others have reached 
Browse Island safe and sound ? And why could not nine 
of them have managed to leave it ? ” 

“ How could they, Mrs. Branican ? ” asked Captain Ellis 
sharply. 

“By making a boat out of the wreck of their ship.” 

“Madam, Zach Fren will tell you the same as I do, that 
in the state in which we found the debris the thing seemed 
entirely out of the question ! ” 

“ What about one of their own boats, then ? ” 

“The boats belonging to* the Franklin , admitting that 
they were not broken to pieces, could not have undertaken 
a voyage across to the Australian coast, or to the Sunda 
Islands.” 

“And besides,” observed William Andrew, “if nine of 
them were able to leave the island, why should the five 
others have remained behind ?” 

“ Let me add,” continued the captain, “ that if they did 
get a boat of some sort, those who embarked in it were 
drowned at sea, or were captured by the Australian natives, 
since they have never reappeared ! ” 

Mrs. Branican, without showing any signs of faltering, 
turned to the boatswain : 

“ Zach Fren,” said she, “ are you of the same opinion as 
Captain Ellis ? ” 

“ I am thinking,” he answered, shaking his head, “ I am 
thinking that things may have happened in that way, of 


i6o 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 


course ; but it’s just as possible they turned out another 
way ! ” 

“And I’m thinking,” said Mrs. Branican, “that we have 
no absolute proof whatever of the fate that befell the 
nine men whose remains were not found on the island. As 
to you and your crew, Captain Ellis, you did all that the 
most untiring devotion could do.” 

“ I should like to have succeeded better, madam ! ” 

“We will leave you, now, my dear Dolly,” said Mr. 
Andrew, thinking the interview had lasted quite long 
enough. 

“ Thank you, dear friend,” she answered. “ I need to 
be alone. But whenever Captain Ellis would care to come 
to Prospect House, I should be happy to talk to him about 
John and his companions.” 

“ I shall be always at your service, madam,” replied the 
captain. 

“ And you, too, Zach Fren ; always bear in mind that my 
house is yours.” 

“ Mine ? ” repeated the boatswain. “ And what’s going 
to happen the Dolly's Hope ? " 

“ The Dolly's Hope ? ” said Mrs. Branican, as though the 
question seemed to her quite unnecessary. 

“ If an opportunity presented itself to sell her,” observed 
Mr. Andrew, “ it is no doubt your intention ? ” 

“To sell her ?” interrupted Dolly ;“ to sell her? No, 
Mr. Andrew ; never ! ” 

Dolly and Zach Fren had exchanged glances ; they both 
had understood each other. 

From this day forward, Dolly lived a very retired life at 
Prospect House, where she now had the various objects 
picked up on Browse Island : the utensils that the ship- 
wrecked men had used, the ship’s lamp, the piece of sail 
nailed to the broken mast, the Franklin's bell, etc. 

As to the Dolly's Hope, after being unloaded and brought 





They perceived a Man lying at the Foot of a Tree(/. 167) 


A LIVING WAIF. 


161 


to a quiet nook in the harbor, she was left in Zach Fren’s 
care. The crew, liberally rewarded, were now comfortably 
provided for, but if ever the ship was to put to sea again 
on a new expedition, every man of them could be relied on. 

Meanwhile, Zach Fren’s visits to Prospect House were 
frequent and welcome. Mrs. Branican delighted in chatting 
with him, and going over the incidents of the last expedi- 
tion. Besides, the way in which both of them looked at 
things brought them daily nearer to each other. Neither of 
them believed that the last had been heard about the wreck 
of the missing ship, and Dolly would say to the boatswain : 

“Zach Fren, neither John nor his eight companions are 
dead ! ” 

“ The eight men — I don’t know,” would the boatswain 
invariably reply. “ But I am sure Captain John is alive ! ” 
“Yes, he is alive ! But where can we look for him, 
Zach ? where is he, my poor John ? ” 

“ He is wherever he is, and that’s somewhere for sure, 
Mrs. Branican ! And if we don’t go out for him, some day 
we’ll hear from him ! I don’t mean to say we’ll get a letter, 
stamped and all, but hear of him we shall ! ” 

“ John is alive, Zach Fren ! ” 

“ If he wasn’t, Mrs. Branican, do you tell me I’d ever have 
been able to save you ? Why, God would not have let me. 
No, he wouldn’t. It would have been too cruel-like ! ” 

And Zach Fren with his own way of putting things, and 
Mrs. Branican with the obstinacy she brought to bear on 
this question, were in perfect agreement to still preserve a 
hope which William Andrew, Captain Ellis, and indeed all 
their friends, had long since considered a forlorn hope. 

During the year 1887 nothing occurred to bring back 
public attention on the Franklin disaster. Captain Ellis 
had gone to sea again in command of one of the firm’s 
vessels. Mr. Andrew and Zach Fren were the only visitors 
received at the cottage. As to Mrs. Branican, her time was 


. 162 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


devoted to the welfare of Wat House, and its orphan 
inmates. 

By this time fifty poor little beings, some of them in 
infancy, others having attained the age of reason, were 
brought up in this home and daily visited by Mrs. Branican, 
ever solicitous of their health, their instruction, and their 
future prospects as well. The considerable sum appro- 
priated to the keeping up of Wat House, allowed these 
little creatures to be made as happy as children can be who 
have lost their father or their mother. As they grew to an 
age when they could be put out as apprentices, Dolly 
placed them in the workshops, business houses, and dock- 
yards of San Diego, and still continued to look after them. 
That very year three or four of them, sons of seamen, had 
embarked under the command of honest captains who 
could be trusted with their care. Setting out as cabin boys, 
they would begin their five years’ apprenticeship when they 
were about thirteen years of age, then would rise to be sea- 
men, then boatswains, and thus be sure of a good trade for 
their manhood, and relative comfort for their old age. And, 
indeed, as was shown in after years, Wat House was destined 
to become the nursery of those sailors who are an honor to 
the population of San Diego, and other ports on the Califor- 
nian coast. 

Besides watching over her orphanage, Mrs. Branican con- 
tinued to be the benefactress of the poor. None ever 
knocked in vain at the door of Prospect House. The in- 
terests of her fortune, judiciously looked after by Mr. 
Andrew, were devoted to various works of charity of which 
the families of the Franklms lost crew had the greatest 
share. And of that lost crew, did she not hope that one 
day some members would return ? 

It was the sole subject of her conversations with Zach Fren. 
What had become of the shipwrecked men whose bodies 
had not been found on Browse Island ? Why might they 
not have managed to leave it in a boat made by them, de- 


A LIVING WAIF. 


163 


spite what Captain Ellis said to the contrary? True, so 
many years had now gone by, it seemed folly to keep on 
hoping still S 

At night time especially, in her restless, dream-haunted 
sleep, Dolly would see John over and over again. He had 
been rescued from the wreck and picked up in some far- 
away sea. The vessel that had saved him was off the 
shore. John was in San Diego, and the extraordinary 
feature of these illusions was that, even upon her awaken- 
ing, they persisted with such intensity that Dolly clung to 
them as to realities. 

Nor was Fren’s case different. To use his own words, 
those ideas had got hammered into his skull like the trenails 
into the timbers of a ship ! 

He, too, went on repeating to himself that only five out 
of fourteen of the castaways had been found, that the re- 
mainder might have left the island, that there was no proof 
that they had been unable to build a boat with the wreck of 
the Franklin. 

What had become of them, all this time ? That was the 
point. But Zach would not dwell upon it ; and it was with 
dismay that William Andrew saw him thus encouraging 
Dolly in her illusions. 

Was there no fear of this overexcitement for a brain that 
had once been unhinged already ? But when Mr. Andrew 
went to remonstrate with the boatswain on the subject, the 
latter showed no sign of yielding. 

“ Mr. Andrew, sir,” he would say, “ did you ever see a 
sheet anchor give way when her flukes are strong, and she 
has got a good hold ? Well, that’s me ! ” 

And time went on still. In 1890 fourteen years had 
passed since John Branican and the crew of the Franklin 
had left San Diego ; Mrs. Branican was now thirty-seven. 
Although her hair began to whiten, and the freshness of her 
complexion had slightly faded, the same fire still kindled 
her eye as ever. She did not appear to have lost any of 


164 


MISTRESS BRA Nl CAN. 


her physical or moral strength, or any of her characteristic 
energy ; they awaited but the opportunity to assert them- 
selves. 

Why was it no longer possible for her to follow Lady 
Franklin’s example and fit up expedition after expedition, 
and spend her whole fortune in searching for John and his 
companions? But where were they to be looked for? 
Was it not the universal opinion that this maritime disaster 
had ended in the same way as the expedition led by the 
illustrious English admiral ! Had not the sailors of the 
Franklin perished off Browse Island, just as the sailors of 
the Erebus and the Terror had perished amid the icebergs 
of the Arctic seas ? 

During these long years that had brought no light on the 
mysterious catastrophe, Mrs. Branican had not ceased mak- 
ing inquiries about Len and Jane Burker. No information 
whatever had been gathered in this connection either. No 
letter had ever reached San Diego. It was supposed that 
Len Burker had left America and had set up under another 
name, in some distant country. Another cause of grief 
added to the many sorrows of Jane’s cousin. That ill-fated 
woman — Dolly was so fond of her, she would have been so 
happy to have her near her ! Jane would have been a lov- 
ing companion for her. But she was far away. Just as 
much lost for Dolly as was Captain John himself ! 

The first half of the year 1890 had rolled by, when a 
San Diego newspaper reprinted, in its issue of the 26th of 
July, a paragraph, the effect of which was to be far reaching, 
one may say, on the two continents. 

It was an extract from an Australian paper, the Morning 
Herald , of Sydney, and ran as follows : 

It may be remembered that the late search, undertaken seven years ago 
by the Dolly's Hope , with a view to find the survivors of the Franklin 
proved unsuccessful. Since that time it was supposed that all the ship- 
wrecked crew had perished either before reaching Browse Island or after 
leaving it. 


A LIVING WAIF. 


i6 5 


Now, the question is far from being solved. 

For one of the officers of the Franklin , Harry Felton, Captain Brani- 
can’s mate, has just arrived in Sydney. He was picked up on the banks 
of the Parra, an affluent of the Darling, almost on the border of New 
South Wales and Queensland, and brought to Sydney. But he is in such 
a state of weakness that no information has, thus far, been obtained from 
him, and it is to be feared he may die from one day to another. 

We hasten to make the above known for the benefit of those interested 
in the Franklin disaster. 

On July 27, as soon as William Andrew heard the news, 
which had been wired to him from San Francisco, he has- 
tened to Prospect House, where Zach Fren happened to be 
at the time. 

“ I’m off to Sydney,” simply remarked Mrs. Branican, on 
receiving the intelligence. 

“To Sydney?” asked Mr. Andrew. 

“ Certainly,” answered Dolly. 

And turning toward the boatswain : 

“ Will you come with me, Zach ? ” 

“ Anywhere you like, Mrs. Branican.” 

“ Is the Dolly' s Hope ready to put to sea ? ” 

“ No,” replied Mr. Andrew, “ and it would take three 
weeks to get her ready.” 

“Before three weeks I must be in Sydney ! Is there a 
steamer starting for Australia soon ? ” 

“ The Oregon leaves San Francisco this very night.” 

“ Zach and I will be in San Francisco this evening.” 

“ My dear Dolly,” said Mr. Andrew, “ may God restore 
John to you ! ” 

“ He will restore him to me ! ” replied Mrs Branican. 

And that very night, about eleven o’clock, a special train 
chartered by Mrs. Branican landed her and Zach Fren in 
the capital of California. 

At one o’clock in the morning the Oregon was steaming 
out of San Francisco, bound for Sydney. 


i66 


MISTRESS BRANICAN , . 


CHAPTER XVI. 

HARRY FELTON. 

T HE weather was splendid — a normal condition in this 
part of the Pacific and at this time of the year. 

“ Wouldn’t you think the good ship knows Mrs. Branican 
would like to be on the other side already ? ” Zach Fren 
would often say, as the Oregon sped onward at an average 
of seventeen knots. 

Needless to state that the officers, passengers, and crew 
showed this courageous woman that respectful sympathy 
to which her misfortunes and her bravery entitled her so 
justly. 

When the steamer reached 33 0 51' latitude south, and 
148° 40' longitude east, the ever welcome cry of “ land,” 
came from the lookout. And on the 15th of August, after 
a trip' of 7000 miles, covered in nineteen days, the Oregon 
entered the bay of Port Jackson, between those high 
slatey cliffs, that look like a giant gateway opening on the 
Pacific. 

Then leaving to the right and left those little gulfs, 
dotted with villas and cottages, and bearing the names of 
Watson, Vaucluse, Rose, Double, Elizabeth, etc., she passed 
on before Earme Love and Sydney Love, and steamed 
into Darling Harbor, which is, in reality, the port of Syd- 
ney. 

Mrs. Branican accosted the first person who came on 
board ; it was a custom house officer : 

“ Harry Felton ? ” she began. 

“ He is still alive,” replied that official, guessing who the 
inquirer was. 

For did not all Sydney know that she was coming over 
on the Oregon , and was she not expected with the greatest 
impatience ? 


HARRY FELTON. 


167 


“ Where is he ? ” she asked. 

“ At the Seamen’s Hospital.” 

In a moment Mrs. Branican and her companion were 
ashore, and a few minutes’ ride brought them to the 
hospital, where they were received by the doctor in 
charge. 

“Has Harry Felton been able to speak yet? Has he 
recovered consciousness ? ” inquired Dolly. 

“No, madam,” replied the doctor. “The unfortunate 
man does not recognize anybody. He seems unable to 
utter a word. Death may carry him off at any moment ! ” 

“ He must not die ! ” cried Mrs. Branican. “ He alone 
knows whether Captain John and his companions are still 
alive ! He alone can tell where they are ! I came . pur- 
posely to see him.” 

“ I will conduct you to him immediately, madam,” an- 
swered the doctor ; and so saying he showed the two visit- 
ors to the room occupied by the dying man. 

Six weeks before, some travelers were crossing the prov- 
ince of Ulakarara, in New South Wales, on the lower bor- 
der of Queensland. On reaching the left bank of the 
Parru, they perceived a man lying at the foot of a tree. 
He was covered with rags, and so worn out with fatigue 
and hunger that they were unable to bring him back to his 
senses, nor could they ever have identified him had not his 
commission as an officer in the merchant navy been found in 
one of his pockets. 

It was Harry Felton, the second officer of the Franklin. 

Whence had he come ? What distant or unknown part 
of the Australian Continent had he started from ? How long 
had he been wandering about the wild solitudes of the cen- 
tral deserts ? Had he been made prisoner by the natives, 
and had he managed to escape from them ? Where had he 
left his companions if he had any ? Or again, was he the 
only survivor of the disaster which now dated fourteen 

% 


i68 


MISTRESS BRA MICA M. 


years back ? All these questions had remained to this 
moment unanswered. 

Still, it was of vast importance to know where Harry Fel- 
ton came from, what he had done since the wreck of the 
Franklin on the reefs of Browse Island ; to know in fact the 
secret of the catastrophe. 

He was brought to the nearest station, which was that of 
Okley, and thence by rail to Sydney. The Morning Herald, 
being the first to hear of his arrival in the Australian capital, 
had published it ; and now Mrs. Branican stood beside him. 

She never would have recognized her husband’s late lieu- 
tenant. He was then but forty-six years old, but he looked 
sixty. And this was the only man — a corpse almost — who 
could say what had become of Captain John and his crew. 

Hitherto the most assiduous care had failed to bring 
about any improvement in the sick man’s condition — a con- 
dition, the sad result evidently of the terrible hardships he 
had suffered during the weeks, the months, perhaps, of his 
journey across central Australia. The breath of life that 
still lingered in him might vanish in a swoon at any moment. 
Since his admission into the hospital, he had hardly opened 
his eyes, and had given no sign that he was conscious of 
what was going on around him. He was sustained with a 
little food, of which he did not even appear to take notice. 
It was to be feared that excessive sufferings had ruined his 
intellectual powers, and destroyed the faculty of his memory 
on which might hang the fate of the remaining survivors. 

Mrs. Branican had posted herself at his bedside, watch- 
ing for a glance of his eye, for the faintest murmur that 
might escape his lips, the least indication she might 
work upon ! Zach Fren, standing near her, in vain tried to 
descry a glimmer of intelligence in his face, even as a sailor 
looks for a ray of light through the misty clouds away on 
the horizon. 

But the gleam he sought did not appear that day, or the 






iitip 




By the dying Man’s Bedside (/. 168) 



HARRY FELTON. 


169 


day following. The eyelids of the sick man remained 
closed, and when Dolly raised them she only met with an 
unconscious stare. 

She did not despair, however, or Zach Fren either, and 
the latter would keep on repeating : 

“ If Harry Felton recognizes his captain’s wife, he will 
easily make himself understood, even without speaking ! ” 

Yes ! it was of importance that he should recognize Mrs. 
Branican ; indeed, it might be beneficial for him to do so. 
It would then be necessary to act with extreme prudence, 
until he got accustomed to Dolly’s presence. Little by 
little, recollections of the Franklin would come to his mind. 
He would be able to show by signs what he could not utter 
in words. 

Although Mrs. Branican was advised not to remain con- 
tinuously in the closed sick room, she denied herself even 
one hour’s respite, to go out for a little fresh air. Away 
from this bedside she could not tear herself. 

“ He may die,” she would say, “ and if with his last breath 
he exhales the one word I long for, I must be there to hear 
it. I will not leave him ! ” 

Toward evening a slight change for the better was noticed 
in the poor fellow’s condition. He opened his eyes several 
times, but their gaze did not rest on Mrs. Branican. And 
yet, bending over him, she called him by his name ; she re- 
peated John’s name — the captain of the Franklin; San 
Diego ! How did these names fail to bring back memories 
of his companions to his mind ? One word — a single word 
— was all that was asked of him: “Alive. Were they 
alive ? ” 

And all that Felton must have suffered to be reduced to 
such a state, Dolly thought to herself that John must have 
suffered also. Then she would imagine that John, too, had 
succumbed on the way. But no — John could not have ac- 
companied his mate. He had remained with the others — 


170 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


where ? Was it with some tribe of the Australian coast ? 
What tribe was it? Harry alone could tell, and it seemed 
that his intelligence was a blank, and his lips had forgotten 
the use of speech. 

During the night Felton still grew weaker. His eyes 
no longer opened, his hand got colder, as though the little 
life still left in him was withdrawing toward the heart. 
Was he going to die without saying a single word ? 

Then Dolly remembered that she, too, had lost her mem- 
ory and her reason for a good many years ! And even as 
others were unable to obtain a word from her then, she 
could now draw nothing from this unhappy man — nothing of 
what he alone knew ! 

The following day, the doctor, very uneasy at the utter 
prostration of his patient, tried the most energetic means to 
arouse him, but without any avail. Death was now ap- 
proaching fast. 

So then Mrs. Branican was doomed to see crushed, like 
the others, the hopes that this man’s reappearance had led 
her to cherish ! To the light that he might have shed 
would succeed a darkness that nothing could henceforth 
dispel ! And then all would be over forever. 

At Dolly’s request, the principal doctors of the town had 
met in consultation. But, after examining the patient, they 
declared themselves powerless. 

“ Then you can do nothing for this unfortunate man ? ” 
asked Mrs. Branican. 

“ Nothing,” replied one of the medical men. 

“ Not give him back one minute’s intelligence, one min- 
ute’s recollection ? ” 

And for that one minute how gladly she would have laid 
down all the wealth she possessed ! 

But what is beyond man’s power can be done by God. 
When human resources fail, it is to him man should apply. 

When the doctors had retired, Dolly knelt down by the 


HARRY FELTON . 


171 

bedside, and when Zach came in he found her in prayer 
near the dying man. 

Suddenly, as he stooped over to see if Harry Felton still 
breathed, he called out : 

“ Mrs. Branican ! ” 

Dolly, thinking the boatswain had found but a corpse 
in the bed, sprang to her feet. 

“ Dead ? ” she murmured. 

“ No, madam ; no ! Look at him. His eyes are opened. 
He is looking about.” 

In truth, beneath the uplifted eyelids Harry Felton’s 
eyes sparkled with an extraordinary gleam. His cheeks 
had colored slightly, and his hands moved several times. 
He seemed to emerge out of that stupor in which he had 
been buried so long. Then, his gaze falling on Mrs. Brani- 
can, a half smile lit up his features. 

“ He knows me ! ” cried Dolly. 

“Of course he does,” said Zach Fren loudly, as though 
talking for the benefit of the sick man. “ It’s his captain’s 
wife is beside him and he knows it. He is going to speak 
to her now ! ” 

“And if he is unable to speak, God grant that he may be 
able to make himself understood ! ” 

Then, taking Felton’s hand, who feebly pressed hers in 
return, Dolly stooped close to him. 

“John? John?” she asked. 

A moving of the eyes showed that Felton had heard and 
understood her. 

“ Alive ? ” she asked. 

“ Yes ! ” 

That “yes,” although so feebly uttered, had fallen clear 
and distinct on Dolly’s ear ! 


/ 


172 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

BY “yes” and by “no”! 

M RS. BRx\NICAN immediately called in the doctor. 

He saw plainly that this change in Harry Felton’s in- 
tellectual condition was but a last flicker of life, that death 
would soon destroy. 

The dying man, as a matter of fact, appeared to see no 
one but Mrs. Branican. Neither Zach Fren nor the doctor 
attracted his attention. Alt that was left him of intellectual 
power was concentrated on the wife of his captain, the wife 
of John Branican. 

“Harry Felton,” asked Dolly, “if John is alive, where 
did you leave him ? Where is he ? ” 

No answer came forth. 

“ He is unable to speak,” said the doctor, “ but he might 
be able to reply by signs, perhaps. ” 

“ If only by his look, I will manage to understand him ! ” 
said Mrs. Branican. 

“ Wait a bit, madam,” suggested Zach Fren. “ You know 
there’s a way of asking questions. We sailors understand 
each other with half a nod ; so if you’d let me have a try at 
him while you hold his hand, and please keep your eye on 
his all the time, I’ll ^put him through his lesson and he’ll 
give us a ‘ yes ’ or a ‘ no ’ with a wink ; that will be enough, 
won’t it ? ” 

Mrs. Branican stooped over the dying man and took his 
hand in hers. 

Had Fren straightway asked him where Captain John 
was, he could not possibly have obtained a satisfactory an- 
swer, since the mate would have had to pronounce the name 
of some country, some province, or village — which in all 
probability he could not do. Much better was it to get at 
the answer gradually by following up the history of the 


BY “YES" AND BY'“NO"! 173 

Franklin from the day on which she had been seen for the 
last time, up to the day when Harry Felton left his captain. 

“ Felton,” began Fren, in a clear voice, “ it’s Mrs. Brani- 
can is here by you, the wife of John Branican, captain of 
the Franklin. You know her, don’t you?” 

Felton’s lips did not move, but a slight motion of his 
eyelids, a faint pressure of his hand, replied in the affirma- 
tive. 

“The Franklin ,” continued Zach Fren, “was signaled, 
for the last time, south of Celebes Island. Do you hear? 
You understand me, don’t you, Felton ? ” 

Another token of assent. 

“ Well, now listen to me, and according as you open your 
eyes or shut them I will know if what I say is the correct 
thing or not.” 

It was evident the patient had understood the sailor’s 
request. 

“ On leaving the Java Sea,” the latter went on, “ Captain 
John made for Timor Sea ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ By the Sunda Strait ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Of his own accord ? ” 

This question was answered by a sign, the negative mean- 
ing of which could not be misunderstood. 

“ Of course he didn’t of his own accord ! ” repeated 
Zach. 

This was exactly what Captain Ellis and himself had 
thought. For the Franklin to have left the Java Sea to 
enter the Timor Sea, she must have been compelled to do 
so. 

“ It was during a storm ?” inquired Zach Fren. 

“ Yes.” 

“ A violent tornado, that took you by surprise in the Java 
Sea, no doubt ? ” 


174 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 


“ Yes.” 

“And carried you right through the Sunda Strait?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Perhaps the Franklin was disabled, her masts gone, her 
helm broken ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

Mrs. Branican, her eyes fixed on Felton, looked at him 
without saying a word. 

Zach Fren endeavored to trace up the various stages of 
the catastrophe, and continued : 

“ Captain John could not take his observations for sev- 
eral days, and in the end he did not know where he was ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ And after being swept along for some few days right 
away to the west of Timor Sea, he was dashed against the 
reefs of Browse Island ? ” 

A slight movement showed Harry Felton’s surprise, as 
he was evidently ignorant of the name of the island on 
which the Franklin had been thrown, and of which they 
had been unable to determine the exact position by the ob- 
servations taken in the Timor Sea. 

Zach Fren continued : 

“ When you put to sea from San Diego, there were on 
board, Captain John, yourself Harry Felton, and twelve 
men composing the crew, fourteen all told. Were you 
fourteen after the wreck of the Franklin ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ Some of the men perished when the ship struck the 
rocks then ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“One? Two?” 

A nod confirmed the last of these figures. 

So two of their number were missing when the ship- 
wrecked men set foot on Browse Island. 

On the advice of the doctor a little rest was now 


BY “ YES ” AND BY “NO”! 175 

given the invalid ; this interrogation was visibly tiring 
him. 

Then the questions being resumed a few minutes later, 
Zach Fren ascertained how Captain John, Harry Felton, 
and their ten companions had been able to provide for 
their sustenance. But for a portion of the cargo consisting 
of preserved meat and flour, that had been rescued along 
the shore, but for the fish that had soon become one of 
their chief resources, the castaways would have died of 
hunger. Seldom had they descried any vessels passing off 
the island. Their flag nailed to the mast had never been 
noticed. And yet they had no other means of escape but 
that of being picked up by some vessel. 

When Zach Fren asked how long they had remained on 
Browse Island — one year — two years — three years — six 
years — Felton did not answer “ yes ” until the last of these 
numbers had been suggested. 

So, from 1875 to 1881, Captain John and his comrades 
had lived on that island ! But how had they succeeded in 
leaving it ? That was one of the most interesting points, 
and it was approached in this way : 

“ Were you able to build a boat with the wreck of the 
ship ? ” 

“ No.” 

Both Captain Ellis and the boatswain had agreed on this, 
also, when they were exploring the scene of the wreck ; 
it would not have been possible to build even a canoe with 
those debris. 

At this part of his interrogatory, Zach Fren was some- 
what puzzled as to how he should put the questions about 
the manner in which the survivors had been enabled to 
leave Browse Island. 

“ You say,” he continued, “ that no vessel saw your sig- 
nals ? ” 


176 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ Did a prao from the Malay Islands, or a boatful of Aus- 
tralian natives, come to the island, then ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ Then it was a sloop — a ship’s boat that was carried 
ashore ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ A drifting boat ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

This point being at last settled, it was easy for the sailor 
to deduct the natural consequences. 

“ So you patched up the boat and made her fit to put to 
sea ?” 

“ Yes.” 

“And Captain John made for the nearest coast to the lee- 
ward, of course ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

But why had not Captain John and his companions all 
embarked in this boat ? This was another important item 
to know. 

“ No doubt this boat was too small to hold twelve passen- 
gers?” asked Zach Fren. 

“ Yes.” 

“ So seven of you went off : Captain John, you, and five 
of the men ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

And now it was easy to read in the eyes of the dying man 
that those who had remained on Browse Island might be 
still waiting to be rescued. 

But, on a sign from Dolly, Zach refrained from telling 
him that the five sailors had succumbed since the captain 
had left the island. 

A rest of some few minutes was again allowed the poor 
fellow, who had closed his eyes, although he still pressed 
Mrs. Branican’s hand in his. 

Meanwhile, carried away- in thought to Browse Island, 


BY “YES" AND BY “ NO ” / 


177 


she saw John attempting impossibilities even to save his 
men. She heard him, she spoke to him, she encouraged 
him, she embarked with him. Where had this boat 
landed ? 

Harry Felton’s eyes reopened, and Fren continued his 
questioning. 

“ So that’s how Captain John, you, and five of the men 
left Browse Island ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ And the boat was set due east, so as to reach the nearest 
land to the island ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ That was Australia, I guess ? ” 

“Yes.” 

“ Were you thrown on the coast by a storm when you got 
across ? ” 

“No.” 

“ You were able to run up one of the creeks on the 
coast ?” 

« Yes.” 

“Round about Cape Leveque, most likely?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ At York Sund, may be ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ On landing did you fall into the hands of the natives ?” 
“ Yes.” 

“ And they carried you off ? ” 

«“ Yes.” 

“ All of you ? ” 

“ No.” 

“Some of your men perished as you landed at York 
Sund ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Killed by the natives ? ” 

“ Yes.” 


i 7 8 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


“ One — two — three — four ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ There were only three of you left, then, when the na- 
tives brought you into the interior of the continent ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Captain John, you, and one of the seaman ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ And this sailor, is he still with Captain John ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ He died before you left ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ A long time ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

So then, Captain John and this same Harry Felton were 
actually the only two survivors of the Franklin , and one of 
them had only a few more hours to live ! 

It was no easy task to get the moribund to give further 
explanations about Captain John — explanations that should 
be obtained with the greatest precision. More than once 
Zach Fren was obliged to cease questioning him ; then, 
when he would begin again, Mrs. Branican made him put 
question after question so as to know what had taken place 
during these nine years, that is to say since the day Captain 
John and Harry Felton were carried off by the natives. It 
was ascertained that they were Australian nomads. The 
prisoners had been -obliged to follow them about in their 
incessant wanderings across the Tasmanian territories, lead- 
ing the most miserable of lives. Why had they been spared ? 
Was it to get some special service out of them, or, if the 
opportunity presented itself, to obtain a large ransom for 
them from the British authorities ? Yes — and this very 
important fact was distinctly stated by Felton. It would 
be then but a mere matter of ransom if these natives 
could be found. Further questions revealed that Captain 
John and Harry Felton had been so closely watched that 






































































* 














































She was stopped by a Lad waiting at the Door (/. 180) 




BY “YES" AND BY “NO" ! 179 

during those nine years they had not had one chance of 
escape. 

At last the opportunity came. A place of meeting had 
been chosen, where the two captives were to join so as to 
escape together ; but something had prevented Captain 
John coming to the rendezvous ; that something Harry 
Felton was unable to find out. He had waited there several 
days, unwilling as he was to escape by himself ; he then tried 
to rejoin the tribe ; they had raised their camp. So, fully 
determined to come back and rescue his captain, should he 
be able to reach one of the villages of the interior, he started 
across the central deserts, hiding here and there so as not 
to fall again into the hands of the natives, prostrated with 
the heat, and dying of hunger and fatigue. For six months 
he had journeyed on in that way, until at last he fell uncon- 
scious on the banks of the Parru, on the southern border of 
Queensland. 

It was there, as we know, that he had been identified, 
thanks to the papers he had on him. From there he had 
been brought to Sydney, where his life had been prolonged 
by a miracle, until he was able to make known what had 
been sought after in vain for so many years. 

Besides him, then, out of the whole crew, Captain John 
was the only man alive now ; but he was held captive by a 
wandering tribe which scoured the deserts of Tasmania. 

And as Zach Fren named, one by one, the various tribes 
who generally frequent these territories, it was on hearing 
the name of the Indras that Harry Felton gave his nod of 
assent. Zach Fren was even able to ascertain that dur- 
ing the winter this tribe usually encamped on the banks of 
the Fitz-Roy River, one of the streams that flow into the 
Leveque Gulf, to the northwest of the Australian conti- 
nent. 

“ That is where we will go look for John ! ” exclaimed 
Mrs. Branican. “ That is where we will find him !” 


Mistress bran/cam 


i8o 

Felton understood her, for his face brightened at the 
thought that Captain John would at last be saved — saved 
by her. 

The poor fellow’s mission was now accomplished. Mrs. 
Branican, who had received his last confidences, knew in 
what part of the Australian continent she should make 
her researches, and he closed his eyes as though he had 
nothing more to say. 

Such was the condition to which this robust and cour- 
ageous man had been reduced through hunger and fatigue, 
and, above all, the terrible effects of the Australian climate. 
And now, after confronting them all, he was dying, just as 
his sufferings had come to an end ! Was not this the fate 
that awaited Captain John, should he attempt to escape 
across the wilderness of central Australia ? Did not his 
fate likewise threaten those who would start in search of this 
Indras tribe ? 

But this thought did not even enter Mrs. Branican’s 
head. While the Oregon was bringing her across, she had 
drawn out the plan of a new expedition ; all that was 
now wanted was to carry it into execution. 

Harry Felton died about nine o’clock that evening. One 
last time Dolly had called him by his name. Once again 
he had understood her. His eyes had opened, and this 
feeble whisper escaped his lips : 

“ Cap’n John ! ” 

Then a few dying gasps convulsed his chest, and his 
heart ceased to beat. 

That night, as Mrs. Branican was leaving the hospital she 
was stopped by a lad who was waiting at the door. 

He was an apprentice in the merchant navy, serving his 
time on the Brisbane, which traded along the Australian 
coast between Sydney and Adelaide. 

“ Mrs. Branican,” said he in a trembling voice. 

“ What is it, my boy ? ” asked Dolly. 


BY “YES” AND BY “NO”/ 


i£i 


“ Harry Felton is dead, is he ? ” 

“ He is dead,” 

“ And Captain John ? ” 

“ As for him, he is alive ! He is alive ! ” 

“ Thank you, madam,” said the young apprentice. 

Dolly had scarcely got a glimpse of the features of the 
young boy ere he was gone without saying who he was or 
why he had asked those questions. 

The following day Harry Felton’s funeral took place, 
attended by the sailors in the harbor and a large concourse 
of the inhabitants. 

Needless to say that Mrs. Branican paid her last duty 
behind the hearse of one who had been Captain John’s 
devoted companion and faithful friend ; and by her side 
walked the young sailor ; but she did not recognize him 
among all those who had come to pay this last honor to 
the second officer of the Franklin. 


END OF PART I. 













CjSl V# 




8l ■ 




fi, ' ■ 

.V ■ 

pj ^,'jjffli 


jgfcjF %kJ5m life, 





tPSHI 


; ■ 

pp||| ' iOi 

JPI !tf ?i|f|| 

% t v 





i|i > 



IBs ImM 

■» 

B|\^\l; 1 

Ip ''* J1 



The following Day Harry Felton’s Funeral took place (p. 1 S 1 ). 





























. 



' 


* 
















. 














V I -J 












% 



I 














% 










% 




■N 


V 

















N 









MISTRESS BRANICAN. 

a * 


PART II. 

















* » * 







t : 4 

y 













« 






MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


PART II. 


CHAPTER I. 

WITH FULL STEAM ON. 

E VER since the day when Mr. de Lesseps cut the Suez 
Canal, one has been justified in calling the African 
continent an island. In the same way North and South 
America may be denominated islands by and by, when the 
Panama Canal is completed, as these immense territories 
will in reality be surrounded by water on all sides. But as 
they will keep the name of continents, on account of their 
size, it is but right to give this same designation to Australia 
(otherwise New Holland) which is situated in the same con- 
ditions. 

As a matter of fact, Australia measures 3900 kilometers in 
its greatest length from east to west, and 3200 in its great- 
est width from north to south. Now, the summing up of 
these two figures gives a surface of about 4,830,000 square 
kilometers — say seven-ninths of the area of Europe. 

The Australian continent is divided, by the authors of the 
latest atlases, into seven provinces, separated by arbitrary 
lines, which intersect each other at right angles and take no 
account of orographic or hydrographic accidents. 

In the east, in the most populated part, Queensland, 
capital Brisbane; New South Wales, capital Sydney; Vic- 
toria, capital Melbourne. 


i86 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


In the center, North Australia and Alexandra Land, 
without capitals ; South Australia, capital Adelaide. 

In the west, Western Australia, stretching from north to 
south, capital Perth. 

It is right to add that the Australians are endeavoring to 
constitute a confederation under the name of “Common- 
wealth of Australia.” The English government objects to 
this title, but no doubt it will become a natural consequence 
on the day when the severance is an accomplished fact. 

The reader will soon see into what provinces, the most 
dangerous and the least known of this continent, Mrs. Bran- 
ican was about venturing, with that vague hope, that 
almost unrealizable idea of finding Captain John, and rescu- 
ing him from the tribe that had held him a prisoner for nine 
years. Indeed, was there not every reason to apprehend 
that the Indians had killed him after Harry Felton’s escape? 

Mrs. Branican’s plan was to leave Sydney as soon as pos- 
sible. She could rely on Zach Fren’s boundless devotion; 
on the firm and practical intelligence which characterized 
him. In the course of a long conversation, and with the 
map of Australia before them, they had both discussed the 
readiest ways and means that could insure the success of 
this new undertaking. The selection of a starting point, as 
can well be imagined, was of extreme importance, and this 
is what was definitely agreed upon: 

First, a caravan, equipped in the best manner for explora- 
tion and for defense, and supplied with all the necessaries 
for a journey across the deserts of central Australia, would 
be organized at the expense and under the management of 
Mrs. Branican. 

Second. As this exploration should be started within a 
very short delay, it was advisable to take the quickest route 
by land or sea to the farthest terminal point of the ordinary 
means of communication between the coast and the center 
of the continent, 


WITH FULL STEAM ON. 


187 


In the first place, the question of reaching the northwest 
coast, that is to say, that part of Tasmania where the sur- 
vivors of the Franklin had landed, was brought forward 
and discussed. But this detour would have necessitated an 
enormous waste of time, and placed great difficulties in th$ 
way of the personnel and of the baggage, bojjr'bf which we/e 
of necessity to be considerable. Moreoyer, all things con- 
sidered, there was no evidence that by entering the Austra- 
lian continent by the west, the rescuing party would the 
sooner come across the natives who had captured Captain 
Branican, for they roamed about through Alexandra Land 
just as well as in Western Australia. This question was 
therefore set aside. 

The second point taken up for consideration was the 
direction to be adopted from the first start ; here the road 
followed by Harry Felton naturally suggested itself. To 
be sure, they had no very definite information regarding his 
itinerary ; yet it was indicated by the spot where he had 
been picked up; that is to say, on the banks of the Parru, 
between Queensland and New South Wales, to the north- 
west of the latter. 

Since 1770 — when Captain Cook explored New South 
Wales, and, in the name of the King of England, took pos- 
session of this continent, already explored at that time 
by the Portuguese Manuel Godenbho and by the Dutch 
Verschoor, Hartog, Carpenter, and Tasman — its eastern 
portion had been largely colonized, developed, and civilized. 
It was in 1787 that, Pitt being then prime minister, Com- 
modore Philip founded here the Botany Bay penal station, 
out of which a nation of almost three million men was to 
spring up in less than a century. 

At the present time, roads, canals, and railroads connect 
the numberless localities of Queensland, New South Wales, 
Victoria, and South Australia ; lines of steamers ply between 
all the ports and harbors along the coast; none of those 





1 88 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


elements which constitute the greatness and wealth of an 
old country are wanting to this part of the continent. 

Now, as Mrs. Branican was in Sydney, this rich and pop- 
ulous capital would have supplied her with all that could 
be needed for the fitting out of a caravan, the more so as 
before leaving San Diego she had got a considerable credit 
opened for her, through William Andrew, on the Central 
Australian Bank. She could easily, therefore, have ob- 
tained here the men and the various kinds of cattle for riding, 
drawing, or burden-carrying that might be required for her 
expedition, even though it implied the crossing of the whole 
breadth of the continent; say, a journey of close on 2200 
miles. 

Still, was Sydney to be adopted as the starting point? 
Everything considered, and on the advice of the American 
Consul, who was well acquainted with the present state of 
Australian geography, Adelaide, the capital (as we have 
said) of South Australia, seemed a more suitable basis of 
operations. 

By the side of the telegraph wires that run from this city 
to Van Diemen’s Bay, that is to say, from south to north, 
almost, along the curve of the 139*11 meridian, the engineers 
had constructed the first portion of a railroad which even 
now went beyond the parallel reached by poor Harry Fel- 
ton. This road would enable the travelers to push farther 
and quicker into those regions of Alexandra Land and West- 
ern Australia, hitherto almost unexplored. 

So, then, it was determined that this third expedition in 
quest of Captain John would be organized at Adelaide, and 
would thence proceed by rail as far as the line extended, say 
a distance northward of 400 miles. * 

And now, how would Mrs. Branican make her way from 
Sydney to Adelaide? Had there been railway communica- 
tions between these two capitals her course would have been 
clear. To he sure, there is a railroad which crosses the 






WITH FULL STEAM ON. 189 

Murray on the frontier line of Victoria, at Albury Station, 
goes on by way of Ben alia and Kilmore as far as Melbourne, 
and thence proceeds in the direction of Adelaide ; but it 
went no farther than Horsham Station, and beyond this 
point the lack of ordinary means of communication might 
have caused considerable delays. 

Hence it was that Mrs. Branican made up her mind to 
reach Adelaide by sea. Four days is the normal length of 
the trip, and taking into account a stoppage of forty-eight 
hours at Melbourne, she should land at the chief city of 
South Australia within six days. True, it was now August, 
a month which corresponds to February in the northern 
hemisphere. Still, the weather was set fair, and as the 
winds blew from the northwest the steamer would be shel- 
tered by the coast as soon as she had rounded Bass’s Strait. 
Besides, after her voyage from San Francisco to Sydney, 
a trip from Sydney to Adelaide was not of a nature to cause 
Mrs. Branican any anxiety. 

It so happened the steamer Brisbane was starting the 
next day, at eleven o’clock at night. After calling at Mel- 
bourne, it was due at Adelaide on the morning of August 
27. Two cabins were reserved on it, and Mrs. Branican 
took the necessary steps to transfer to the Bank of Adelaide 
the credit that had been opened for her at the Bank of 
Sydney. The directors obligingly put themselves at her 
service, and this transfer was effected without the least 
difficulty. 

On leaving the Seamen’s Hospital, Mrs. Branican had 
taken a suite of rooms in a hotel, where she would stay 
until her departure. One thought filled her mind: “John 
is alive!’’ With eyes fastened on the map of Australia, 
her gaze lost in those immense solitudes .of the center and 
of the northwest, a prey to the delirium of her imagination, 
she saw herself looking for him — finding him — saving him! 

On that day, at the closing of their interview, Zach Fren, 


190 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


thinking it better for her to be alone, had started for a 
ramble about the streets of Sydney, with which he was not 
at all acquainted. And first of all — what else could you 
expect of a sailor? — he thought he would like to see the 
Brisbane , so as to make sure that Mrs. Branican would 
have comfortable quarters. The vessel appeared to him all 
that could be desired for a coaster. He asked to see the 
cabin that had been reserved for his mistress; he was 
shown to it by a young apprentice, and gave some instruc- 
tions with a view to make it brighter and more pleasant. 
Kind-hearted fellow ! One would have thought it was a 
question of a long sea voyage ! 

As he was about to leave the boat, the young apprentice 
stopped him, and with a slight tremble in his voice, he 
asked : 

“It’s quite settled, is it, bos’n, that Mrs. Branican is to 
sail for Adelaide to-morrow?” 

“Oh, yes; to-morrow,” answered Zach Fren. 

“On board the Brisbane V' 

“Well, of course.” 

“May she have good luck this time, and find Captain 
John!” 

“We’ll do our best, you bet!” 

“I’m sure you will, bos’n.” 

“Do you belong to this boat?” 

‘ ‘I do, sir.” 

“Well, then, sonny, you’ll see us to-morrow.” 

Zach Fren spent his last few hours in Sydney in strolling 
about Pitt Street and York Street, viewing the reddish- 
yellow stone buildings, then visiting Victoria Park and 
Hyde Park, in which stands the monument erected to the 
memory of Captain Cook. He rambled through the Botan- 
ical Garden, a beautiful promenade close to the seashore, 
where may be admired the various trees of hot climates as 
well as those of the temperate zones — the oak and the 




The young Apprentice stopped him (/. 190). 


WITH FULL STEAM ON. 


191 

arancaria, the cactus and the mangostan, the palm tree 
and the olive tree. Truly, Sydney deserves the reputation 
it has made for itself. It is the oldest of the Australian 
capitals, and if it is less regularly built than its younger 
sisters, Adelaide and Melbourne, it <shows itself richer in 
unforeseen beauties and picturesque sites. 

The next evening Mrs. Branican and Zach Fren went 
on board the steamer. At eleven o’clock the Brisba?ie 
wended its way out of the port, steamed across Port Jack- 
son Bay, and after rounding Inner South Head turned due 
south, while keeping within a few miles from the coast. 

During the first hour Dolly remained seated abaft of the 
deck, watching the outline of the coast, which was just 
visible through the mist. There, then, was the continent 
into which she was about plunging as though into an im- 
mense prison, whence John had been hitherto unable to 
escape. It was now fourteen years since they had parted 
from each other. 

“Fourteen years!” she murmured. 

When Botany Bay and Jorris Bay had been passed she 
went below for a little rest. But next day at daybreak she 
was up, at the time when Mount Dromedary and, a little 
to the rear, Mount Kosciusko, an outgrowth of the Aus- 
tralian Alps, could be seen on the horizon. 

Zach Fren joined her on the spar-deck, and both natur- 
ally turned to the only topic which preoccupied them. 

Just then an apprentice approached the little group, with 
a look of hesitation, and said that the captain had sent him 
to ask if Mrs. Branican desired anything. 

“No, my boy; thank you,” answered Dolly. 

“Why! that’s the lad who spoke to me yesterday when I 
came to have a look at the Brisbane , ” said Zach Fren. 

“Yes, bos’n; you are right.”. 

“And what do they call you?” 

“My name is Godfrey.” 


192 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


"‘Well, then, Godfrey, you are quite sure now that Mrs. 
Branican is aboard your steamer, are you? And you look 
pleased at it, too ! ” 

“Yes, sir; we are all pleased on board. And we all hope 
that she will have good luck and save Captain John!” 

While speaking, Godfrey looked at her with such intense 
earnestness that a thrill went through her whole frame. 
The next moment the young apprentice’s voice seemed to 
strike her. She had heard that voice somewhere before, 
and suddenly she thought she remembered where. 

“My boy,” said she, “was it not you who spoke to me 
at the door of the hospital at Sydney?” 

“It was I, ma’am.” 

“You belong to the Brisbane, then?” 

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve been aboard a whole year now,” 
replied Godfrey. “But, please Heaven, I will soon leave it.’’ 

Whereupon, unwilling, or perhaps afraid to say more, 
Godfrey withdrew, to give Mrs. Branican’s answer to his 
captain. 

“I’d lay anything that lad has sailor’s blood in his veins,” 
observed Zach Fren. “You can see it by the look of him. 
He’s got a pair of eyes you can read in, same as in a big- 
lettered book; and as to his voice — why, he talks as straight 
as an old captain and as soft as any girl.” 

“His voice!” murmured Dolly. 

What illusion of her senses made her fancy that it was 
John’s voice she had just heard; John’s voice as it must 
have been ere he reached manhood. 

There was something else — a something more significant 
still. Of course it was only an illusion ; yet the features 
of this lad forcibly reminded her of John — John, her youth- 
ful husband, still in his twenties when the Fra7iklin had 
carried him so far, and for so long, away from her. 

“You see, Mrs. Branican,” said Zach Fren, rubbing his 
big rough hands, “you are a favorite with everybody, Eng- 































































» 










4 






t 















































Off Port Jackson ( p . igi) 








WITH FULL STEAM ON. 


193 


lishmen or Americans. Here in Australia you’ll meet with 
the same good hearts as in America. You’ll find it just 
the same in Adelaide as you did in San Diego. They all 
feel for you, the same as that young English lad does.” 

“That English lad? Is he really English?” Mrs. Brani- 
can went on asking herself under the sway of a deep emo- 
tion. 

The trip was very pleasant during this first day out. 
The sea was quite calm, with a land breeze coming from 
the northwest; and it would doubtless continue just as 
smooth after the Brisbane had rounded Cape Howe, at the 
extremity of the Australian continent, on her way to Bass’s 
Strait. 

During the day Dolly hardly left the spar deck. The 
other passengers showed her every token of respect, and 
exhibited a great desire to keep her company. They 
wanted to see this woman, whose troubles were so well 
known, and who did not hesitate to brave so many dangers, 
to face so much fatigue, in the hope of saving her hus- 
band, if Providence willed that he was still alive. In her 
presence, indeed, no one would have cast a doubt on this 
last eventuality. How could they but share her confidence 
when she was heard to express such manly resolutions, and 
so distinctly stated everything she was about to undertake. 
Unconsciously they followed her in thought into the wilds 
of Central Australia. And in truth, more than one of them 
would have willingly accompanied her, otherwise than in 
their imagination. Now and again, though, while answer- 
ing their questions, Dolly would stop short. Her face 
would assume a singular expression and would brighten up 
with a sudden glow. Zach Fren alone knew what- was 
going on in her mind. 

She had just caught sight of Godfrey. The walk of the 
young apprentice, his movements, the persistence with 
which he watched over her, that sort of instinct which 


194 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


seemed to draw him toward her, all that took possession of 
her, and emotioned her to such an extent as to blend John 
and him together in her thoughts. 

Dolly was unable to conceal from Zach Fren that she 
saw a striking resemblance between her husband and God- 
frey. And it was not without a certain annoyance that the 
sailor saw her giving way to this impression, which was 
due, after all, to a mere fortuitous occurrence. He 
feared, and with good reason, that this resemblance re- 
minded her too much of the child she had lost. It was 
truly alarming that the presence of this boy should overex- 
cite her to such a degree. 

However, Godfrey had not gone near her since, his duty 
not calling him aft, that part of the ship being exclusively 
reserved for first-class passengers. But from afar their 
eyes often met, and Dolly had been on the point of calling 
him. At a beck from her, Godfrey would have been but 
too glad to rush over. Dolly had not made the sign, and 
Godfrey had not come. 

That evening, as Zach Fren was conducting Mrs. Brani- 
can to her cabin, she said: 

“Zach, we must find out who this young apprentice is — 
to what family he belongs — his birthplace. Perhaps he is 
not of English origin.” 

“Perhaps not, ma’am,” replied Zach. “He may be 
American. Anyway, if you’d like it, I’ll go and ask the 
captain.” 

“No, Zach, no; I will question Godfrey myself.” 

And the boatswain heard Mrs. Branican saying to herself 
in an undertone: 

“My child, my poor little Wat would be about his age, 
now ! ” 

“Just what I was afraid of!” mused the sailor, as he 
made his way to his cabin. 

The following day, August 22, the Brisbane , having 


WITH FULL STEAM OH. 


*95 


cleared Cape Howe during the night, continued her course 
under the same favorable conditions. The coast of Gipp- 
land, one of the chief provinces of Victoria, after winding 
to the southeast, sends out Wilson promontory, the further- 
most offshoot of the continent to the south. This coast 
has fewer bays, harbors, inlets, and capes, known to geog- 
raphers, than the straight coast line which stretches from 
Sydney to Cape Howe. As far as the eye can reach, it 
displays nothing more than vast plains, whose distant hilly 
boundaries cannot even be perceived from the sea. 

Mrs. Branican, having left her cabin at daybreak, had 
resumed her seat abaft of the spar deck. Fren, who soon 
joined her, noticed a visible change in her manner. The 
land, which gradually stretched to the northwest, no longer 
monopolized her attention. Absorbed in her thoughts, she 
barely answered the sailor when he inquired what kind of 
a night she had had. 

He did not press his inquiries. The main point with 
him was that Dolly might forget the singular likeness of 
Captain John and young Godfrey, and would not again 
speak of calling for the latter and questioning him. In- 
deed it was just possible that she had given up her intention 
of doing so, that her ideas were now bent on something else ; 
and as a matter of fact she uttered not a word to him on 
the subject. 

After breakfast she returned to her cabin and did not ap- 
pear on deck again until three or four o’clock in the afternoon. 

Just then the Brisbane was speeding at full steam toward 
Bass’s Strait, which separates Australia from Van Diemen’s 
Land. 

It will hardly be contested, on the one hand, that the 
English have greatly benefited by the discovery of the 
Dutchman Janssen Tasman; or, on the other, that this 
island, a natural dependency of the continent, has gained 
considerably through the Anglo-Saxon administration. 


196 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Since 1642, the year in which it was discovered, this 
island, whose length is not short of 280 kilometers, whose 
soil is remarkably fertile, and whose forests contain im- 
mense resources, has progressed with gigantic strides. 

From the beginning of this century, the English have 
administered it as they always administer. Without taking 
the slightest heed of the native races, they have divided the 
island into districts ; they have founded important towns : 
Hobart Town, the capital, George Town, and a number of 
others; they have utilized the numerous indentations of 
the coast and created harbors where their vessels now land 
by hundreds. All this is as it should be. But what has 
become of the black population which originally inhabited 
the country? 

To be sure, the poor creatures were hardly civilized; 
indeed they were looked upon as the very lowest type of 
the human species; they were ranked below the negroes of 
Africa, below the natives of Terra del Fuego. 

But is the annihilation of an indigenous race really the 
acme of colonial progress? If it be, then indeed the Eng- 
lish may claim to have achieved the most complete success. 
Should it be their intention to show a few Tasmanians at 
the next Universal Exhibition of Hobart Town, they have 
no time to lose: not one Tasmanian will be left by the end 
of the nineteenth century! 


CHAPTER II. 

GODFREY. 

T HE Brisbane crossed Bass’s Strait during the night. 

In this latitude of the northern hemisphere, daylight 
scarcely lasts beyond five o’clock during the month of 
August. The moon, then in her first quarter, quickly dis- 


Godfrey. 197 

appeared in the misty horizon, and the profound darkness 
concealed the outlines of the coast from view. 

Currents and countercurrents struggle for the mastery 
in this narrow pass, opened to the waves of the Pacific; 
and our passengers were soon made aware of the choppy 
billows the steamer was plowing through by her heavy 
pitching. 

The next day, the 23d of August, at dawn, she reached 
the mouth of Port Philip Bay. Once in the middle of this 
bay ships are sheltered from storms ; but in order to get 
into it, they must proceed with caution and skill, especially 
when passing the long sandy point of Nepean on one side 
and Queenscliff point on the other. This bay is divided 
into several ports, in which vessels of considerable tonnage 
find excellent anchorage, Goelong, Sandridge, Williams- 
town — the two last forming the port of Melbourne. The 
aspect of the coast is sad, monotonous, and without attrac- 
tion. Little verdure on the banks, the look of an almost 
dried up marsh, which, instead of lakes or ponds, shows 
nothing but indentations filled with hardened and fissured 
alluvium. It is for the future to modify the surface of 
these plains by doing away with the skeletons of trees now 
piteously vegetating here and there, and substituting for 
them such trees as the Australian climate will soon trans- 
form into splendid forests. 

The Brisbane steamed up to one of the quays of Williams- 
town to land some of her passengers. 

As there was to be a stay of thirty-six hours, Mrs. Brani- 
can resolved to spend them in Melbourne. Not that she 
had any business in that town, since it was only at Adelaide 
that she would begin her preparations for the expedition. 

Why, then, did she go ashore? Did she apprehend 
being the object of too many and too frequent visits? 
Could she not avoid them by keeping to her cabin? Be- 
sides, by going to one of the hotels in the town, where her 


iq8 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AM. 


presence would soon be known, would she not expose her- 
self to more pressing and more numerous calls still? 

Zach Fren could not account to himself for this move on 
Mrs. Branican’s part. He had remarked it; she was not 
the same as she had been at Sydney. Her former commu- 
nicative ways had almost changed to reticence. Could it 
be, as the boatswain had observed, that Godfrey’s presence 
had brought back the remembrance of her child too forcibly 
to her mind? It was. Zach Fren was not mistaken. The 
sight of the young apprentice had made so deep an impres- 
sion upon her that she felt the need of being alone. Had 
she given up the idea of questioning him? That might be, 
since she had not done so the day before, although she had 
at first expressed her intention to send for him. But, for 
the time being, if she insisted on landing at Melbourne, and 
spending ashore the twenty-four hours they would stay there, 
even at the risk of being the center of observation, it was 
with the idea of escaping — there is no other word for it — 
yes, of escaping from this fourteen-year-old lad, toward 
whom an instinctive force attracted her. Why, then, did 
she hesitate to speak to him; to inquire from him all she 
wanted to know of his nationality, his origin, his parents? 
Did she fear that his answer — and it was but too probable 
— would have the result of destroying forever her ground- 
less illusions, that chimerical hope to which her imagination 
yielded so fondly and that her emotion had revealed to 
Zach Fren ? 

Mrs. Branican and the boatswain went ashore quite early. 
On reaching the pier, she looked back. 

Godfrey was leaning over the rail, on the fore deck of 
the Brisbane. On seeing her going away, his face became 
so sad, the half-suppressed wave of his hand was so expres- 
sive, it was so evident he would fain keep her aboard, that 
Dolly was well-nigh calling out, “I will come back soon, my 
child!” 


GODFREY. 


199 


She controlled herself, however, beckoned to Zach Fren 
to follow her, and made her way to the railroad which con- 
nects the port with the town. 

For Melbourne is situated inland, on the left bank of the 
Yarra-Yarra River, about two kilometers from the coast — a 
few minutes’ ride by train. There lies this city with its 
population of 300,000 inhabitants, the capital of the mag- 
nificent province of Victoria, which contains about a mil- 
lion souls, and on which, since 1851, it is no exaggeration 
to say that Mount Alexandra has lavished all the gold of its 
mines. 

Although Mrs. Branican had stopped at one of the least 
frequented hotels in the town, she could not fail to arouse 
that curiosity — full of sympathy as it was — which her pres- 
ence excited wherever she went. She therefore determined 
to go out and walk about the town with her attendant, even 
though her eyes saw but little of what they vacantly gazed 
upon. 

On the whole, an American woman would have expe- 
rienced no surprise, and felt but little pleasure, in visiting so 
modern a town. Although founded twelve years after San 
Francisco in California, Melbourne resembles it “on its 
worst side,” if it may be thus expressed; wide streets, cut- 
ting each other at right angles; open squares void of grass 
or trees ; hundreds of banks and offices in which enormous 
business is transacted ; a district in which the retail trade is 
concentrated ; public buildings, churches, temples, a univer- 
sity, a museum, a library, a hospital, a city hall, palatial 
schools; a monument erected to the two explorers Burke 
and Wills, who perished in an attempt to cross the Aus- 
tralian continent from south to north; then little traffic 
along the streets and avenues, outside the business quarter; 
a certain number of foreigners, more especially German 
Jews, who sell money just as others sell cattle or wool, and 
at a good price, so as to gladden the heart of Israel. 


206 


MISTRESS BRA MICA AT. 


But merchants live in this commercial Melbourne as little 
as they can. It is in the suburbs of the town that they 
have built their residences, yillas, cottages, and princely 
mansions, at Saint Kilda, Hawthorn, Emerald Hill, and 
Brighton, which (says one of the most interesting travelers 
who ever visited the country, M. D. Charney) gives Mel- 
bourne the advantage over San Francisco. And here the 
manifold trees of this climate are already luxuriating, the 
sumptuous parks are covered with shade, fresh water streams 
insure a delightful coolness for many a long month; in 
truth, there are few towns nestled in greater abundance of 
verdure. 

Mrs. Branican paid but little heed to this splendor, even 
when Zach Fren led her out of the town into the open 
country. Nothing in her exterior showed that the beauti- 
ful situation of such or such a house, the magnificent sur- 
roundings of such another domain had attracted her atten- 
tion. It always seemed as though, under the influence of 
one fixed idea, she was forever on the point of asking Zach 
some question which she dared not utter. 

Both returned to the hotel toward evening. Dolly hardly 
tasted the supper she had ordered up to her room, where- 
upon she retired and spent the night in a half-sleep, haunted 
by visions of her husband and her child. 

The following day she kept her room until two o’clock 
in the afternoon and wrote a long letter to Mr. Andrew, 
acquainting him with her departure from Sydney and her 
anticipated arrival in the South Australian capital. Need- 
less to say that this letter breathed the writer’s unshakable 
trust in the ultimate success of her search ; but what aroused 
Mr. Andrew’s surprise, nay his anxiety, on reading it, was 
to notice that while Dolly spoke of John as though she was 
sure of finding him alive, she now likewise talked of her 
child, of little Wat, as though he was not dead. And the 




All wanted to see her (/. 193) 







* 
















♦ 




























- 

















« 



♦ 







































































♦ 











GODFREY. 


201 


good man began to ask himself if there was no new calamity 
to fear for the unfortunate woman’s mind. 

Nearly all the passengers bound for Adelaide had already 
returned from shore when Mrs. Branican and Zach came 
aboard. Godfrey was watching for her return, and as far 
as he saw her his face brightened with a smile. He ran up 
to the gangway and was there as if mounting guard when 
she set foot on it. 

Zach Fren felt quite annoyed at this occurrence, and he 
knitted his heavy eyebrows. What would he not have given 
for the young apprentice to have left the steamer, or at 
least for him not to be there in Dolly’s way, since his pres- 
ence called back such sad recollections to her mind. 

Mrs. Branican saw Godfrey. She stopped a moment; 
it seemed as though her glance sought the inmost recesses 
of his soul, but she did not speak to him ; and, hanging 
down her head, she passed on and withdrew straightway to 
her cabin. 

At three o’clock in the afternoon the Brisbane steamed 
out to the open and made for Adelaide. 

The passengers who had embarked at Melbourne num- 
bered about a hundred, most of them inhabitants of South 
Australia on their way to their native homes. There were 
also a few foreigners — among others a Chinese, about 
thirty or thirty-five years of age, as sleepy as a mole, yellow 
as a lemon, round as a pumpkin, and as fat as a three-button 
mandarin. He was not a mandarin, however. No! simply 
a servant in attendance on a personage whose physical 
appearance deserves to be described with special care. 

Imagine a son of Albion, as “British” as a human being 
can be; tall, thin, bony; a veritable specimen for a lecture 
on osteology — all neck, bust, and legs. This sample of an 
Anglo-Saxon, from forty-five to fifty years old, rose about 
six English feet above the level of the sea, A light beard, 


202 


MISTRESS BRA NIC A N. 


none of which was shaved ; hair of the same color, with 
silver threads among the gold ; small ferret’s eyes, an 
uncommonly long nose, rather pointed at the extremity 
and bearing a vague resemblance to the beak of a pelican or 
that of a stork ; a skull on which the most superficial ob- 
server among phrenologists would easily have discovered 
the bumps of monomania and of obstinacy — all these com- 
bined to make up one of those heads that catch the eye and 
provoke a smile when they are drawn by a witty artist. 

This Englishman wore, as in duty bound, the traditional 
tourist’s costume — the double-peaked cap, the vest buttoned 
up to the chin, the many-pocketed coat, check pants, high 
gaiters with nickel buttons, nailed shoes, and a whitish dust- 
coat, which the wind draped close around him, thus showing 
off the leanness of his skeleton-like frame. 

Who was this eccentric character? Nobody knew; for 
on Australian steamers the spirit of friendship does not go 
the length of permitting one passenger to pry into the busi- 
ness of another, inquiring what part he is bound for, where 
he comes from, etc. They are passengers on the same ship; 
as such they meet, and that is all. All the steward could 
have said was that this Englishman had registered under 
the name of Joshua Merritt, — for short, Jos Merritt, — of Liv- 
erpool (United Kingdom), accompanied by his servant Gin- 
Ghi, of Hong Kong (Celestial Empire). 

Once he had got on board, Jos Merritt went and sat on 
one of the seats on the spar deck, and did not leave it until 
lunch time, when the four o’clock bell rang. He returned 
to the said seat at half-past four and did not quit it till 
dinner time at seven o’clock, after which he was at his 
place again at eight, and there he remained in the attitude 
of an unwound automaton, his two hands spread open on 
his knees, never turning his head to the right or to the 
left, his eyes riveted on the coast, which was disappearing 
behind the evening mist. Then at ten o’clock he stepped 







With full Steam on (/. 195). 







GODFRE Y. 


20 3 


to his cabin with a geometrical stride, the rhythm of which 
even the rolling of the boat could not disturb. 

During part of the night Mrs. Branican, who had gone 
on deck a little before nine, walked about the aft part of 
the Brisbane , although the temperature was rather, cool. 
With her mind beset with anxious thinking, fascinated — to 
use a more exact expression — by the glamour of its own 
fancies, she would not have been able to sleep. She was 
too closely confined in her cabin ; she longed to breathe 
that fresh air, laden at times with the keen scent of the 
“acacia flagrans,” which can be detected fifty miles out at 
sea, off the coast of Australia. Did she think of meeting 
the young apprentice, of speaking with him, of questioning 
him, of asking him — asking him what? Godfrey had fin- 
ished his quarter-deck duty at ten o’clock and would not be 
up again till two in the morning; and now Dolly, truly 
worn down by her moral excitement, felt she should return 
to her couch. 

Toward the middle of the night the Brisbane rounded Cape 
Otway, at the extremity of the district of Polwarth. From 
this point forward she would sail due northwest up to Dis- 
covery Bay, at the apex of the conventional line drawn along 
the 141st meridian as the division line between Victoria and 
New South Wales on the one hand, and the territories of 
Southern Australia on the other. 

At early morning Jos Merritt could be seen at his seat on 
the spar deck, in the same spot, in the same attitude, just 
as though he had not left it the night before. As to the 
Chinaman, Gin-Ghi, he slept the sleep of twenty just men 
in some corner. 

Zach Fren must have been somewhat accustomed to 
human hobbies and peculiarities, for cranks are not wanting 
in the forty-two States grouped under the formula U. S. A. 
Still, he could not look at this piece of human machinery 
without a certain amazement. 


204 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 


And what was his surprise when, passing close to this 
long and motionless gentleman, he heard himself addressed 
in these terms in a rather shrill voice: 

“Boatswain Zach Fren, I believe?” 

“That’s me, sir,” replied Zach. 

“Mrs. Branican’s companion?” 

“Quite right, sir. I see you know ” 

“I do know — in search of her husband — lost fourteen 
years ago. That’s right! That’s quite right.” 

“What do you say, ‘quite right’?” 

“Oh, yes — Mrs. Branican — quite right — I am in search, 
too, of ” 

“Your wife?” 

“Oh, no! I’m not married. Not I! And if I had lost 
my wife I would not look for her; not I.” 

“Then it is — — ” 

“In search of a hat. ” 

“Your hat? You’ve lost your hat, have you, sir?” 

“My hat? No! It is the hat — well, that’s my business. 
You will give my respects to Mrs. Branican. That’s right! 
That’s quite right ! ” 

Jos Merritt’s lips closed and not another syllable was 
uttered. 

“An escaped lunatic!” muttered Zach Fren to himself. 
And he thought it beneath him to take any more notice of 
the gentleman. 

When Dolly reappeared on deck the boatswain joined 
her, and both of them sat down almost opposite the Eng- 
lishman. The latter did not stir any more than the god 
Terminus. Having instructed Zach Fren to present his 
respects to Mrs. Branican, he no doubt thought he had no 
more to do in the matter. 

In any case Dolly did not notice the presence of this 
extraordinary passenger. She had a long talk with her 
companion about the preparations for the land journey tq 






“That's me, Sir” (/. 204). 








;.uV 





GODFRE Y. 


205 


be commenced on their arrival in Adelaide. Not a day, 
not an hour was to be lost. It was important that they 
should reach, nay, if possible, go beyond the central por- 
tion of the continent before it was dried up by the excessive 
heat of the torrid zone. Of all dangers inherent to such a 
journey, the most terrible would probably be caused by the 
rigors of the climate, and every precaution should be taken 
to guard against them. Dolly spoke of Captain John, of 
his robust temperament, of his indomitable energy, which 
had enabled him — she had no doubt of it — to withstand the 
hardships to which others less vigorous, less hardened, had 
fallen victims. All this time she had made no allusion to 
Godfrey, and Zach Fren began to think he had left her 
mind, when she presently remarked: 

“I have not seen the young apprentice yet to-day, Zach. 
Did you see him anywhere?” 

“No, ma’am,” replied the boatswain, apparently annoyed 
at the question. 

“Perhaps 1 could do something for the child, ” she con- 
tinued, assuming an almost indifferent air, which, however, 
failed to delude the sailor. 

“That lad?” he asked. “Oh! he’s got a good trade. 
He’ll be all right! Why, I can see him quartermaster in a 
few years, if he behaves himself and has a little go in 
him.” 

“No matter,” said Dolly, “I feel interested in him; 
interested to such a degree ! The fact is, Zach, that resem- 
blance, that extraordinary resemblance, between my poor 
John and him; and, again, Wat, my lost child, would be 
his age now!” 

And as she spoke the poor bereaved wife and mother 
grew pale; her voice faltered; the gaze she turned on Zach 
was so searching that the boatswain lowered his eyes. 

Then she added: 

“You must bring him to me this afternoon, Zach. Do 


206 


MISTRESS B RANI CAN. 


not forget. I must speak to him. This voyage will be 
over to-morrow. Never more perhaps shall we meet again; 
and before leaving the Brisbane , I want to know. Yes! I 
must know. ” 

Zach promised to fetch Godfrey to her, and then she 
left him. 

The boatswain was now thoroughly alarmed, and kept 
on pacing the deck until the steward rang the dinner-bell. 
He then almost knocked against the Englishman, who was 
marking time with each ring of the bell, as he stalked 
toward the companion ladder. 

“Right! That’s right ! ” said he as he passed. “Fren, 
you have at my request given my respects. Her husband 
lost. That’s quite right ! ’ ’ 

And he marched on, not to lose the seat he had chosen 
as his own at the dining table — the best, of course, next to 
the kitchen, which enabled him to help himself first and 
take the choicest bits. 

At three o’clock the Brisbane cleared Portland, the 
principal port of the Normandy district, where the Mel- 
bourne railway ends; then, after rounding Cape Nelson, 
she steamed past Discovery Bay, and then directed her 
course almost due north, keeping pretty close to the 
coast. 

It was then Zach Fren told Godfrey that Mrs. Branican 
wished to speak to him. 

“Speak to me?” exclaimed the young lad. 

And his heart beat so fast that he instinctively caught 
hold of the rail to steady himself. 

The next moment, preceded by the boatswain, he made 
his way to the cabin where Mrs. Branican was awaiting him. 

She looked at him for some time in silence as he stood 
before her, cap in hand. She was seated on a couch. 
Zach Fren, posted near the door, was anxiously watching 
both of them. Well he knew what Dolly was about to ask, 


GODFREY. 207 

but he could not guess what the young apprentice would 
have to say in reply. 

“My boy,” said Mrs. Branican, “I would like to know a 
few things about you — about the family you belong to. If 
I ask you these questions it is because I feel interested in 
you. Would you mind answering me?” 

“Mind? Of course not, ma’am!” replied Godfrey, 
trembling with emotion. 

“How old are you?” asked Dolly. 

“I don’t know exactly, ma’am, but I guess I am fourteen 
or fifteen.’’ 

“Yes, fourteen or fifteen years old! And when did you 
begin your seafaring life?’’ 

“I came to sea when I was about eight, as cabin-boy, 
and I have been an apprentice two years now.’’ 

“Have you been on any long voyages?” 

“Yes, ma’am, on the Pacific Ocean, as far as Asia; and 
on the Atlantic as far as Europe.” 

“You are not English, then?” 

“No, I am not; I’m an American.” 

“And yet you are serving on an English vessel?” 

“The ship I first served on was sold at Sydney not long 
ago. So, finding myself adrift, as it were, I joined the 
Brisbane till I’d have an opportunity to get on an American 
vessel again.” 

“That’s right, my lad,” said Dolly, beckoning him to 
come closer to her. 

Godfrey obeyed. 

“Now,” she added, “I want to know where you were 
born?” 

“At San Diego.” 

“Quite so, at San Diego,” repeated Dolly, without appear- 
ing surprised, and as though she had anticipated the answer. 

As to Zach Fren, what he had just heard stirred every 
fiber of his good old heart. 


208 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“Yes, ma’am; at San Diego,’’ continued Godfrey. 
“Oh! I know you well! I just guess I ought to. When 
I heard that you were coming to Sydney, I was so pleased! 
If you only knew, ma’am, how I feel about everything that 
concerns Captain John Branican!” 

Dolly took the young apprentice’s hand and held it for a 
few moments without saying a word. Then, in a voice no 
longer able to conceal the full drift of her thoughts: 

“What is your name?’’ she asked. 

“Godfrey.” 

“Godfrey is your first name. But what is your sur- 
name?” 

“I have no other! ” 

“Where are your father and mother?” 

“I have none, ma’am.” , 

“No parents!” said Mrs. Branican. “Where were you 
brought up, then?” 

“At Wat House,” replied Godfrey; “and thanks to your 
kindness, ma’am. I often saw you when you came to see 
your orphan children ! Of course you did not notice me 
among all the little ones, but I always saw you; and how 
often I would have liked to run over and kiss your hand. 
Then, when I was eight years old, as I was fond of the sea, 
I went off as cabin-boy — and there is a lot of others, too, 
Wat House orphan boys, that went to sea; and not one of us 
will ever forget what we owe you, Mrs. Branican, our mother!” 

“Your mother!” cried Dolly, who trembled as though 
that name had found an echo in her inmost soul. 

She had drawn Godfrey to her and covered him with 
kisses. The poor lad cried heartily; and, away in his 
corner, Zach Fren, really frightened at the sentiments he 
saw taking deeper root every instant in Dolly’s heart, mur- 
mured to himself : 

“Poor woman — poor woman! Where is she wandering 
to!” 














He stood before her, Cap in Hand (/. 206). 




















































GODFREY ; 


209 


Mrs. Branican now arose and said: 

“You may go now, Godfrey. Go, my child! I will see 
you again — I need to be alone just now.” 

And with one long last look, the young lad turned slowly 
away. 

Zach prepared to follow him, when Dolly desired him to 
stay. 

“Zach,” she began, in broken words, “Zach, this child 
was brought up with the orphans at Wat House. He was 
born in San Diego. He is fourteen or fifteen years old. 
He resembles John, feature for feature. He has his frank, 
open face and his bold bearing. He loves the sea as John 
does. He is a sailor’s son. He is John’s son. He is my 
own! They thought that the waves in San Diego Bay 
had carried off the poor little mite. But he was not 
dead; he was rescued, and those who saved him from 
death did not know who his mother was. His mother, it 
was I — I, then an insane woman ! This lad is not 
Godfrey, as he calls himself! He is Wat. He is my son! 
God has given him back to me before he restores me his 
father, too.” 

Zach Fren listened to Mrs. Branican without interrupt- 
ing her. He well understood that the unhappy woman 
could not argue otherwise; all appearances were in her 
favor. She followed up her one idea with a mother’s 
irrefutable logic; and still the worthy sailor felt his heart 
sink within him, for all this was an illusion, and it was his 
duty to crush all her reasoning at one blow. He dared not 
let her go farther on that downward path which would 
surely lead her to a new abyss. 

The truth should be told her; and it burst from his lips: 

“Mrs. Branican,” said he, “you are making a mistake. 
I can’t let you believe what I know is not true; and I 
won’t, either. That likeness that you think so much about 
is all chance! Your little Wat is not in this world. He 


210 


MISTRESS BRA N1 CAN. 


was drowned on that terrible day, and young Godfrey is 
not your son.” 

“Wat drowned ! ” exclaimed Mrs. Branican. “And how 
do you know? Who can prove it?” 

“I can, ma’am.” 

“You can?” 

“Yes, ma’am. About a week after that calamity, the 
body of a child was washed ashore at Loma Point. I 
found it and I told Mr. Andrew about it. He recognized 
little Wat, and had him buried in the cemetery at San 
Diego, where he and I often brought flowers afterward to 
his little grave.” 

“My poor little darling — over there — in the cemetery! 
And I was never told about it!” 

“Why, of course you weren’t, ma’am,” replied Fren. 
“You could not be talked to just then; and when you 
recovered from your illness four years later, there was 
danger, you see. Mr. Andrew was afraid-like to heap up 
your misfortunes; and so he kept quiet! But your baby 
is drowned, Mrs. Branican, and Godfrey cannot be your 
boy!” 

Dolly fell back on the couch. Her eyes had closed. It 
seemed to her as if all around her was darkness where all 
was sunshine but an instant before. 

At a wave of her hand Zach Fren left her alone, buried 
in her sorrows. 

The next day, the 26th of August, she was still in her 
cabin when the Brisbane, after passing Backstairs, between 
Kangaroo Island and Jervis Head, entered the Gulf of St. 
Vincent and anchored in the port of Adelaide. 


A HISTORICAL HAT. 


2 1 1 


CHAPTER III. 

A HISTORICAL HAT. 

O F the three Australian capitals, Sydney is the oldest, 
Melbourne is the next, and Adelaide the youngest. 
But truly, if the last is the youngest of the three, it is 
undoubtedly the prettiest. It was founded in 1853, and 
the political existence of South Australia only dates from 
1837, while its independence was officially recognized only 
in 1856. Indeed it is not improbable that the youthfulness 
of Adelaide will continue indefinitely under an unrivaled 
climate, the healthiest of the whole continent, in the middle 
of territories that are quite unacquainted with consumption, 
fevers, or any kind of contagious diseases. Now and again 
there is a death there, however; but, as M. D. Charnay 
wittily observes* “that, after all, might be an exception.” 

The soil of South Australia differs from that of the neigh- 
boring province in containing no auriferous mines, but it is 
rich in copper ore. The mines of Capunda, Burra-Burra, 

, Wallaroo, and Munta, discovered fifty years ago, attracted 
immigrants by thousands, and built up the wealth of the 
province. 

Adelaide does not lie on the coast of Saint Vincent. 
Like Melbourne, it is situated about a dozen miles inland, 
and a railroad connects it with the port. Its botanical 
garden can compete with that of its sister. Founded by 
Schumburg, it contains hot-houses unequaled in the world, 
beds of roses which are veritable parks, and enjoys the 
shade of the most magnificent trees of the temperate zone, 
mingled with those of the semi-tropical. 

Neither Sydney nor Melbourne could be placed in com- 
parison with Adelaide for its elegance. Its streets are wide, 
pleasantly situated, and carefully kept. Some of them 
possess a veritable border of monuments, such as King 


512 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


William Street. The general post-office and the townhall 
deserve particular attention from an architectural point of 
view. In the commercial part of the town, the noisy streets 
named after Hindley and Glenell are alive with the bustle 
of commerce. There you see numbers of merchants, who 
wear that peculiar look of satisfaction arising from easy, 
numerous, and safe transactions, and free from the anxious 
cares generally created by business. 

Mrs. Branican stopped at a hotel in King William Street, 
whither Zach Fren accompanied her. The mother had just 
undergone a trying ordeal by the annihilation of her last 
illusions. The appearances seemed to point so unmistak- 
ably to Godfrey as her son that she had at once given her- 
self up to the idea. And now, this new disappointment 
could be read on her face, which was paler than usual, and 
in the depths of her tear-stained eyes. But from the 
moment she had ascertained that her hopes were irrevo- 
cably lost, she had expressed no further wish to see the 
young apprentice; she had no longer spoken of him. There 
only remained in her memory that striking resemblance, 
which reminded her so much of John. 

Now Dolly without delay set about the preparations for 
the expedition. She would appeal to every source of help, 
every kind of sympathy. If necessary she would spend her 
whole fortune in this new attempt; she would stimulate with 
all the pecuniary means at her command the zeal of those 
who would join her in this last supreme effort. 

Helpers would not be wanting her. This South Aus- 
tralian province is par excellence the country of daring ex- 
plorers. From this province came the most celebrated 
pioneers,, who dived into the unknown regions of the cen- 
ter. From this province have sprung the Warburtons, the 
John Forrests, the Giles, the Sturts, and the Lindsays, 
whose itineraries cross each other on the maps of this vast 
continent — itineraries that Mrs. Branican was about cut- 


A HIS TO RICA L HAT. 213 

ting obliquely with her own. Thus, in 1874, Colonel War- 
burton crossed the breadth of Australia on the twentieth 
degree east to northwest as far as Nichol Bay; John For- 
rest, during the same year, went in the opposite direction 
from Perth to Port Augusta; Giles, in 1876, started also 
from Perth to reach Spencer Gulf on the twenty-fifth degree. 

It had been agreed that the diverse elements of the expe- 
dition, both the material and the men, should be brought 
together, not at Adelaide, but at the terminus of the rail- 
road which runs northward as far as Lake Eyre. To travel 
these five degrees by rail would be a saving of time and 
fatigue. In the mountainous districts of Flinders Ranges, 
they would be able to gather together the necessary number 
of wagons and cattle, the saddle horses for the escort, the 
oxen to draw the provisions, and the camping equipment. 
The interminable plains, the immense sandy steppes they 
would traverse, were destitute of vegetation, almost without 
water. And there was provision to make for the wants of 
a caravan which would not contain less than forty people, 
including the attendants and likewise the body of men who 
would watch after the safety of the travelers. 

As to the engaging of these people, Dolly should see to 
it before leaving Adelaide, and in this she was throughout 
effectively aided by the governor of South Australia, who 
placed himself at her disposal. Thanks to him, thirty men, 
well mounted and well armed, some of native birth, others 
Europeans, accepted Mrs. Branican’s offer. She assured 
them a very high salary for the time they would be away 
over and above a premium of a hundred pounds each at the 
close of the expedition, whatever should be the result. 
They were to be under the command of a retired country 
police officer, Tom Marix, a robust and resolute man about 
forty years of age, whom the governor could trust. Tom 
Marix had carefully picked out his men from among the 
strongest and most reliable of the rriany who had offered 


214 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


their services. On an escort enrolled on such conditions 
every reliance could be placed. 

The attendants would be under Zach Fren’s orders, and 
it would be no fault of his if “men and beasts did not skim 
along with all sails set” as he used to say. 

In reality, above Tom Marix and Zach Fren, the true 
leader, the incontestable head, was Mrs. Branican — the soul 
of the expedition. 

With the assistance of Mr. Andrew’s agents, a consider- 
able credit had been opened for her at the Adelaide Bank, 
from which she could draw wherewith to meet all her wants. 

All this being settled, it was agreed that Zach Fren 
should start for Farina Town station by the 30th at latest, 
and that Mrs. Branican and her followers would join him 
as soon as her presence would no longer be required in 
Adelaide. 

“Zach,” said she to him, “see that our caravan be ready 
to start by the first week in September. Pay everything 
cash, whatever the expenditure may be. The provisions 
will be forwarded to you from this by rail, and you will get 
them packed on the wagons at Farina Town. Nothing 
must be neglected to insure success.” 

“Everything will be ready, ma’am,’’ replied the boat- 
swain. “When you come, yourself, all that will be needed 
will be the boatswain’s whistle!’’ 

It may well be imagined that Zach Fren had enough to 
do in the last few days that he spent in Adelaide. As the 
Yankees say, he “hustled” himself so hard that by the 29th 
of August he was able to take his ticket for Farina Town. 
Twelve hours later, when the train deposited him at the 
terminus, he informed Mrs. Branican by wire that a portion 
of the baggage for the expedition had safely arrived ! 

On her part, with Tom Marix’s help, Dolly fulfilled her 
share of the task so far as the escort, its equipment, and 
clothing were concerned. It was of importance that the 


A HISTORICAL HAT. 


215 


horses should be selected with care; and the Australian 
breed offers excellent specimens, inured to fatigue, proof 
against the heat, and remarkably small “feeders.” There 
would be no trouble with them through the forests and 
along the plains, as grass and water would be found in 
plenty. But further on, across the sandy deserts, camels 
would have to be taken in their place; which exchange 
would be made at Alice Spring station. It was from that 
time forward that Mrs. Branican and her companions would 
have to battle with the material obstacles which render an 
exploration in the regions of Central Australia so dangerous. 

The labor that this energetic woman imposed upon her- 
self had somewhat diverted her thoughts from the closing 
incidents of her trip on board the Brisbane. This display 
of activity, which left her not a moment’s respite, had dazed 
her thinking powers. Of that illusion to which her imagin- 
ation had abandoned itself for a moment, of that ephemeral 
hope that Zach Fren’s outspoken statement had crushed 
with a single word, she retained nothing but a vague mem- 
ory. Now she knew that her little child lay yonder in a 
corner of the cemetery at San Diego, and that she could go 
and weep over his tomb. And yet the resemblance of the 
young apprentice, and the likeness of John and Godfrey, 
still haunted her. 

Since the arrival of the steamer, Mrs. Branican had not 
seen the young boy. Whether he had tried to meet her 
during the few days following her landing, she did not 
know. In any case, it seemed Godfrey had not put in an 
appearance at the hotel in King William Street. And why 
would he have done so? After his last interview with her, 
Dolly had kept her cabin and had not sent for him again. 
And besides, Dolly knew that the Brisbane had gone back 
to Melbourne, and when the steamer would return to Ade- 
laide she would no longer be there. 

While she was thus making her preparations, another per- 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


it 6 

sonage was quite as busy getting ready for an analogous 
expedition. He had alighted at a hotel on Hindley Street. 
An apartment on the front and a room at the back, united 
under the same roof those singular representatives of the 
Aryan and of the yellow race, the Englishman Jos Merritt 
and the Chinaman Gin-Ghi. 

Where had these two types, one from furthermost Asia, 
the other from furthermost Europe, come from? Where 
were they going? What had they been doing in Melbourne, 
and what were they going to do in Adelaide? How had 
this couple, master and man, come together, — the former 
paying the latter, the latter waiting on the former, — to 
travel the world over together? All this will be known 
after listening to a conversation held between Jos Merritt 
and Gin-Ghi, on the evening of September 5. 

And, first of all, if certain characteristic features, certain 
hobbies, the drollness of his attitudes and his peculiar way 
of expressing himself, have given the reader an idea of this 
Anglo-Saxon, it behooves us to give likewise an outline of 
his Chinese servant, who had preserved the dress peculiar 
to his nationality — the “han chaul”or under vest, the tunic 
or “ma coual,” the robe “haol,” buttoned along the side, 
and the wide pants with the cloth belt. He was called Gin- 
Ghi, and well deserved the name, which in reality means 
“lazy man.” For lazy he was to a remarkable degree in 
the presence of work as well as in the face of danger. He 
would not have walked ten steps to carry out an order, he 
would not have gone twenty to place himself out of danger’s 
way. Evidently Jos Merritt must have been endowed with 
an enormous amount of patience to keep such a servant. 
After all, it may have become a matter of habit, for they 
had been traveling together for the last five or six years. 
They had come across each other at San Francisco, where 
Chinese abound, and Gin-Ghi had been engaged by the 
Englishman “on trial,” as it was stipulated — a trial which 




. 

*> 


Tom Marix (/. 213) 




A HISTORICAL HAT. 


217 


was likely to last until their final separation on this planet. 
It may be worth adding that the servant, although brought 
up in Hong-Kong, spoke his employer’s language as if he 
were a native of Manchester. 

Jos Merritt indeed was of too phlegmatic a temperament 
to ever get into a passion. Although he might threaten 
Gin-Ghi with the most frightful tortures in use in the Celes- 
tial Empire, — where the Minister of Justice is literally 
styled the Minister of Tortures, — he would never have 
raised his finger at him. When his orders were not at- 
tended to, he attended to them himself. This simplified 
matters. Perhaps the day was not far off when he would 
go to the length of waiting on his waiter. Very probably 
the Chinaman was inclined to think so; and in his mind 
this change would be but equitable. True, while waiting 
for the advent of this happy state of things, Gin-Ghi was 
obliged to follow his master wherever this eccentric man’s 
whims brought him. On that point Jos Meritt was in- 
flexible. He would have carried Gin-Ghi’s trunk on his 
own shoulders rather than leave him behind when the train 
or the steamer was about to start. Willy-nilly, the “lazy 
man’’ should follow him, even though he should compen- 
sate himself afterward by sleeping throughout the whole 
journey in the most perfect dolce far niente. 

Thus it was that one had accompanied the other over 
thousands of miles on the old and on the new continent, and 
it is in consequence of this system of continued locomotion 
that the pair were at this moment in the South Australian 
capital. 

“That’s right ! That’s quite right ! ’’ said Jos Merritt that 
evening. “All our arrangements are complete, I believe?’’ 

And it were hard to tell why this was addressed to Gin- 
Ghi in the shape of a question, seeing that the speaker had 
been obliged to see to everything himself. But he never 
failed to do so — on principle. 


2l8 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


“Ten thousand times completed,” replied the Chinaman, 
who had never succeeded in getting rid of the phraseology 
in vogue among the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. 

“Our trunks?” 

“Are fastened.” 

“Our arms?” 

“In excellent condition.” 

“Our cases of provisions?” 

“Why, you yourself, Master Jos, got them put in the 
baggage-room at the station. And, besides, what is the use 
of bringing provisions when we are sure to be eaten our- 
selves one day or another!” 

“To be eaten, Gin-Ghi? That’s right! That’s quite 
right! So you quite expect to be eaten, do you?” 

“That will happen sooner or later; and, six months ago, 
we came very near ending our travels in the inside of a 
cannibal, /had a narrow escape, I know!” 

“You, Gin-Ghi?” 

“Of course, for the very good reason that I am fat and 
plump, whereas you are lean, Master Jos, and those people 
will always give me the preference!” 

“The preference! That’s right! That’s quite right!” 

“Then again, have not the Australian natives a particular 
liking for the yellow flesh of the Chinese, which is all the 
more tender as they live on rice and vegetables?” 

“That is why I am always telling you to smoke, Gin- 
Ghi,” quietly answered Jos Merritt. “You know that 
man-eaters dislike the flesh of smokers.” 

And the cautious Chinaman did smoke incessantly, not 
opium, but the tobacco that Jos Merritt supplied him with 
liberally. The Australians, it seems, as well as their 
brother cannibals in other countries, have an unconquerable 
repugnance for human flesh when it is impregnated with 
nicotine. That is why Gin-Ghi worked so conscientiously 
at rendering himself unfit to be devoured. 










\ '• 




A HIS T ORICA L HAT. 219 

And was it really true that his master and himself had 
already exposed themselves to figure at a cannibal banquet, 
in a different capacity from that of guests? It was. Some- 
where along the coast of Africa, Jos and his companion 
had been well-nigh ending their adventurous life in this 
manner. Ten months previously, in Queensland, to the 
west of Rockhampton and of Gracemere, some few hundred 
miles from Brisbane, their pilgrimages had led them among 
the most savage tribes of the aborigines. There, cannibal- 
ism may be said to exist in the endemic state. And, on this 
occasion also, Jos Meritt and Gin-Ghi, having fallen into 
the hands of the blacks, would certainly have perished, but 
for the intervention of the police. Rescued just in time, 
they had been able to make their way to the capital of 
Queensland, then to Sydney, and from this town the 
steamer had now brought them to Adelaide. Nor had his 
past experience cured the Englishman of his mania for 
exposing himself and his servant ; for, judging from Gin- 
Ghi’s remarks, they were even now proceeding to Central 
Australia. 

“And all that for a hat!” cried the Chinaman. “ Ay ya ! 
Ay ya! When I think of it, my tears dribble like raindrops 
on yellow chrysanthemums ! ,f 

“How soon will you have quite finished your ‘dribbling,’ 
Gin-Ghi?” asked Jos Meritt with a frown. 

‘‘Why, if ever you do find that hat, Master Jos, it will 
be nothing more than a rag!” 

‘‘That’s enough, Gin-Ghi! Indeed, it’s too much! I 
forbid you to thus express yourself on that hat or on any 
other! You hear me? Now if you do so again, you shall 
have forty or fifty strokes of the rattan on the soles of your 
feet!” 

‘‘We are not in China,” objected Gin-Ghi. 

*‘I will deprive you of food.” 

‘‘That will make me thinner.” 


220 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“I will cut off your cue quite close to your head!” 

“Cut my cue!” 

“I will cut off your rations of tobacco!” 

‘‘God Fo protect me!” 

‘‘He will not protect you.” 

And in the face of so terrible a threat, Gin-Ghi resumed 
his submissive and respectful mien. 

Now what hat was this? And why did Jos Merritt 
spend his life in searching for a hat? 

This eccentric Liverpudlian was one of those inoffensive 
maniacs who do not belong exclusively to the United King- 
dom. They are to be found on the banks of the Loire, the 
Elbe, the Danube, or the Escaut as well as in the countries 
watered by the Thames, the Clyde, and the Tweed. Jos 
Merritt was very rich and very well known in Lancashire 
and the surrounding counties as an enthusiastic] ‘ ‘collec- 
tor. ” It was not pictures, books, objects of art, or even 
knickknacks that he collected with great trouble and at 
much expense. No! It was hats — a museum of historical 
headgears and coiffures of any sort worn by man, woman, 
or child. 

On his own statement, he possessed some very precious 
historical curiosities: the helmet worn by Patrocles when 
he was slain by Hector at the siege of Troy; the cap used 
by Themistocles at the battle of Salamis ; the insignia of 
Galen and Hippocrates; Caesar’s galea, which a blast of 
wind had carried off just as he crossed the Rubicon; Lucre- 
tia Borgia’s headdress for each of her weddings, with 
Sforza, Alphonso d’Este and Alphonso d’Aragon respect- 
ively; Tamerlin’s favorite turban in his march through 
Sindh; that of Genghis Khan when he destroyed Bokhara 
and Samarcand; Elizabeth’s coiffure at her coronation; 
that of Mary Stuart when she escaped from the castle of 
Lochleven; that of Catherine II. when she was crowned at 
Moscow; the cap worn by Peter the Great when he worked 




Zach Fren and his Men were at the Depot ( p . 228) 


A HISTORICAL HAT . 


221 


in the ship-building yards at Saardam; Marlborough’s soft 
hat, used by him at the battle of Ramilies; the headgear of 
King Olaus of Denmark, who was killed at Sticklestad; 
Gessler’s hat which William Tell would not salute; the 
peaked hat that Napoleon I. wore at Wagram ; and a hun- 
dred others no less curious. 

His greatest regret was that he did not possess the partic- 
ular covering which Noah happened to have on his head 
when the ark stood still on the top of Mt. Ararat, or that 
which encircled Abraham’s noble brow just as he was on 
the point of sacrificing Isaac. 

However, he was not without hope of finding them some 
day. As to the headwear adopted by Adam and Eve when 
they were driven forth from the earthly paradise, he had 
given up all thought of discovering them, trustworthy his- 
torians having laid it down as a fact that the first man and 
the first woman were in the habit of going bareheaded. 

The childish avocations of Jos Merritt’s life may be 
understood from this very abbreviated catalogue of his 
museum of curiosities. 

He was a thorough believer; he entertained no doubt 
regarding the authenticity of his finds ; and no one will ever 
know the labor he went through, traveling the length and 
breadth of a country, searching towns and villages, ransack- 
ing stores and bric-a-brac bazaars, squandering money and 
time, and finding in the end some worthless rag which was 
sold to him for its weight in gold. He ha’d begun to search 
the universe at large for some mysterious, undiscoverable 
object; and now that he had exhausted the available 
resources of Europe, Africa, Asia, America, and Oceanica, 
either by himself, or his correspondents, agents, or travel- 
ers, he was preparing to penetrate into the most inaccessi- 
ble regions of the Australian continent. 

And there was a reason for his so doing — a reason which 
others might have deemed insufficient perhaps, but whicl} 


222 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


he looked upon as of the greatest moment. Having been 
informed that the Australian natives were fond of adorning 
themselves with the hats of civilized nations, — and the state 
of those hats may be imagined ! — and knowing, on the other 
hand, that whole cargoes of those rags were regularly sent 
to the various ports along the coast, he had come to the 
conclusion that he might perchance “make a good haul” in 
those parts. 

And, as luck would have it, Merritt was just then haunted 
by an idea, an idea likely to deprive him entirely of the little 
sense he still had. He should needs find a hat, one particular 
hat, which, so he said, was to be the gem of his collection. 

What was this phoenix of a hat? What manufacturer, 
ancient or modern, had brought it into existence? On 
what head, royal, noble, or plebeian, had it been displayed ; 
and on what occasion? These were secrets that Jos Mer- 
ritt would have intrusted to no man in the world. 

Thanks to a concatenation of precious data, he had 
acquired the conviction that the said hat, after quite a series 
of vicissitudes, was now terminating its checkered career on 
the head of some Australian chieftain. If he came to find 
it out, he would give anything for it; he would steal it, if 
its owner declined to sell it! It was to be the trophy of all 
his peregrinations ! And it was for the sake of this hat 
that Gin-Ghi was once more about running the danger of 
ending his life between the jaws of cannibals, and these 
cannibals were far more voracious than any he had encoun- 
tered yet. Forsooth, it must be acknowledged, the servant 
was so much attached to his master, by interest as well as 
by affection, that he could not have parted with him. 

“To-morrow morning,” said Jos Merritt, “we take the 
express.” 

“At the second watch?” asked Gin-Ghi. 

“At the second watch, if you please to call it so ; and see 
that everything is ready.” 


THE EXPRESS FROM ADELAIDE. 


223 


“I will do my best, master; but pray remember I have 
not the ten thousand hands of Goddess Couan-in.” 

“I am not acquainted with the number of hands of God- 
dess Couan-in, but I do know you have two, and I will 
trouble you to use them to the best of my interests.” 

“Until the cannibals make a meal on them!” 

“That’s right! That’s quite right!” 

It were idle to say that Gin-Ghi made no greater use of 
his hands on this occasion than on previous ones, and that 
he relied on his master to do his work, as usual. 

And accordingly these two eccentric individuals left Ade- 
laide next morning and sped away toward those unknown 
regions where Jos Merritt hoped to find at last the unique 
hat which was wanting to* his collection. 


CHAPTER IV. 

THE EXPRESS FROM ADELAIDE. 

S OME few days later, Mrs. Branican was also about to 
leave the South Australian capital. Tom Marix had 
recruited his full escort of fifteen white men who had 
belonged to local militias and fifteen natives who had already 
served in the governor’s police force. This escort was 
needed, not to fight the Indas tribe but to protect the 
party against the nomads. What Harry Felton had said 
should not be forgotten : they should endeavor to free 
Captain John by means of a ransom rather than use vio- 
lence with the natives who held him prisoner. 

Two railroad wagons were filled with sufficient provisions 
for forty people for a whole year, and these, as we said, 
would be unloaded on their arrival at Farina Town. Every 
day a letter from Zach Fren, dated from the latter, acquainted 
Mrs, Branican with everything that was being done there, 


224 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


The oxen and horses that he had bought, together with the 
men who were to act as drivers, were all ready. The 
wagons put up at the depot were waiting to receive the 
cases of provisions, the bales of clothing, the utensils, the 
ammunition, the tents, and in a word all the impedimenta 
of the expedition. Two days after the arrival of the goods 
the caravan could set off. 

Mrs. Branicanhad fixed the 9th of September as the date 
of her leaving Adelaide. During a last conversation she 
had with the governor of the province, the latter did not 
conceal from the fearless woman what perils she was about 
to encounter. 

“ These dangers are of two kinds, Mrs. Branican,” said 
he; “some arising from the cruelty of certain tribes that 
we have not mastered yet ; others inherent to the nature of 
these very regions. Destitute of all resources, especially 
lacking water as they do, — for the rivers and wells are 
already dried up with the heat, — they have terrible hard- 
ships in store for you. For this reason perhaps it might 
have been better not to begin your campaign for another 
six months, not till the close of the warm season.” 

“ I know, sir,” replied Dolly, “ and I am prepared for 
everything. When I left San Diego I began studying the 
Australian continent, through the works of those explorers 
who have traveled it, such as Burke, Stuart, Giles, Forrest, 
Sturt, Gregory, and Warburton. I have likewise been 
able to obtain the report of the courageous David Lindsay. 
I am fully aware of the fatigues and the dangers of such a 
journey. But I am going where my duty commands me 
to go.” 

“ David Lindsay,” replied the governor, “ only followed 
the tracks that were already known, since the transcon- 
tinental telegraph line lies along them. Indeed, he only 
took with him one young native and four pack horses. 
You, Mrs. Branican, on the contrary, will be obliged to 


THE EXPRESS FROM ADELAIDE. 


225 


head your expedition right away from this line, to the 
northwest of the continent as far as the deserts of Tasmania 
and Witt Land since your object is to meet the wandering 
tribes.” 

“ I will go as far as will be necessary, sir,” said Mrs. 
Branican. “What David Lindsay and his predecessors 
have done was in the interest of civilization, science, and 
commerce. What I will do will be to rescue my husband, 
now the only survivor of the Franklin. Ever since his 
disappearance, and contrary to universal opinion, I have 
always said that John Branican was alive, and I was right. 
For six months, for a year if needs be, I will scour those 
territories with the conviction that I will find him, and I 
will again prove myself in the right. I rely on the devo- 
tion of my companions, sir; and our motto will be, ‘For- 
ward, for aye.’” 

“A noble motto, madam ; and I doubt not but it will lead 
you to success.” 

“ I am sure it will, with God’s help ! ” 

Mrs. Branican took leave of the governor, after thanking 
him for his kind help since her arrival in Adelaide. That 
very evening — the 9th of September — she left the capital. 

Australian railroads could hardly be surpassed ; comfort- 
able cars that roll along without jolting ; tracks whose ex- 
cellent condition causes no more than an almost impercep- 
tible vibration. Dolly’s train was composed of six cars, 
counting the two baggage wagons. She occupied a reserved 
compartment with a woman named Harriet, of half Saxon, 
half native, origin, whom she had engaged as her maid. 
Tom Marix and his band were in the other carriages. 

The train was not to stop except to take in a fresh supply 
of water and feul, and would only make short halts at the 
principal stations. Thus the trip would be shortened by 
about one-fourth. 

On leaving Adelaide, the train steamed on toward Gawler, 


226 


MISTRESS BRANICAM. 


along the district of that name. To the right of the line 
rise some woody heights which overlook this part of the 
territory. Australian Mountains are not notable for their 
height, which scarcely ever reaches above 6000 feet ; and 
they are in general on the line of the periphery of the conti- 
nent. They chiefly consist of granite and silurian layers, 
which has led geologists to assign a very remote origin to 
them. 

These parts being hilly, and intersected with gorges, 
compel the railroad to make numerous detours, now along 
narrow valleys, now in the middle of dense forests, where 
the growth of the eucalyptus is truly exuberant. A few 
degrees farther, when it will have run through the central 
plains, the railroad will be able to follow the unerring 
straight line which should be the characteristic feature of 
modern railroads. 

At Gawler, where the main trunk sends off a branch 
toward Great Bend, the river Murray describes a sudden 
curve toward the south. And so river and train part com- 
pany, and the latter running along the boundary line of the 
Light district, pushes on to Stanley, on the forty-fourth 
parallel. Had it not been dark, the summit of Mount 
Bryant could have been perceived, the highest point of the 
orographic expansion to the east of the railway line. 
Thenceforth the variations of the soil are more abundant 
on the west, and the road skirts the irregular foot of that 
chain, whose chief heights bear the names of Bluff, Remark- 
able, Brown, and Ardon, and whose furthest ramifications 
dwindle away on to the banks of Lake Torrens — a vast 
basin doubtless in communication with Spencer Gulf. 

The following morning, at daybreak, the train passed 
within sight of the Flinders Ranges, and of Mount Serle, 
their extreme offshoot. From her window, Mrs. Branican 
contemplated these scenes so new for her. This, then, was 
that Australian land so justly styled the “ land of para- 




The next Day they were off due North (/. 231). 


% 


THE EXPRESS FROM ADELAIDE. 227 

doxes,” a land the center of which is but an immense de- 
pression below the level of the ocean ; where water-courses 
spring out of the sand and become gradually absorbed 
before they reach the sea ; where the air lacks moisture 
just as much as the soil ; where the strangest animals in 
the world increase and multiply ; where savage hordes of 
human beings lead their nomadic existence. 

Yonder, to the northwest, lay those boundless deserts of 
Alexandra Land and Western Australia where Captain 
John should be sought. How would the rescuers direct 
their course when they had got beyond the hamlets and 
villages, when they had no other guidance but the meager 
indications gathered from Harry Felton on his deathbed ? 

And in this connection, Mrs. Branican’s attention had 
been drawn to one particular objection. Could it possi- 
bly be admitted that during the nine years he was now 
supposed to have been a prisoner among the natives, Cap- 
tain John had never had an opportunity of escaping ? 

To this his poor wife had but one answer to give : Harry 
Felton had distinctly stated that, throughout all those 
years, they had had but one such opportunity, and even 
that opportunity the captain had been unable to avail him- 
self of. 

As to the objection that it was not the practice with the 
aborigines to respect the life of their prisoners, they had 
done so, as a matter of fact, with the survivors of the 
Fj'anklin disaster ; and of this Harry Felton had been an 
unanswerable proof. Indeed there was a precedent in the 
case of the explorer William Classen, who had disappeared 
thirty-eight years ago, and who was believed to be still with 
one of the tribes of northern Australia. 

Now, was this not exactly the case of Captain John, with 
the additional testimony of the second officer’s formal 
declaration ? Other travelers there are, who have never 
returned ; and there is no evidence of their not being alive 


228 MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 

still. Who knows if those mysteries will not be cleared up 
some day ? 

Meanwhile the train was speeding onward, and halted at 
none of the smaller stations. The weather was warm, the 
temperature the same as that of March in those countries 
of the northern hemisphere traversed by the thirtieth 
parallel, such as Algeria, Mexico, and Cochinchina. There 
were not wanting certain symptoms of a fall of rain or even 
one of those downpours that our travelers would in vain 
pray for, by and by, on the steppes of the interior. And in 
these conditions, about three o’clock in the afternoon, Mrs. 
Branican reached Farina Town station. 

For the present, as we said, the railroad goes no farther. 
The engineers are busy planning its prolongation, in the 
direction of the Overland Telegraph Line, which goes on to 
the very coast of the Arafoura Sea. 

Should it follow this line, it will have to turn to the west, 
in order to pass between Lake Torrens and Lake Eyre ; on 
the contrary it will travel to the east of this lake if it keeps 
along the meridian which the wires follow on their first 
leaving Adelaide. 

Zach Fren and his men were all together at the depot 
when Mrs. Branican stepped from her car. Needless to say 
with what genuine sympathy and respectful cordiality they 
greeted her. The worthy boatswain was deeply moved. 
Twelve days, twelve long days without having seen Captain 
John’s wife ! Such a thing had not happened him since 
the last time the Dolly's Hope had come home to San Diego. 
Dolly was delighted to see her companion again, her friend 
Zach, whose devotion she knew to be so true. She smiled 
as she held out her hand to him, she who had almost for- 
gotten how to smile. 

This station at Farina Town is of recent creation. There 
are modern maps on which it is not even marked. You 
can recognize here the embryo of one of those towns which 


THE EXPRESS FROM ADELAIDE. 229 

English and American railroads create along their course, 
even as trees produce fruit ; but this fruit ripens quickly, 
thanks to the improvising and practical genius of the Saxon 
race. And such or such a station, which is in reality no 
more than a village, already shows by its general appear- 
ance, its squares, streets, and avenues that it will become a 
town in a short space of time. 

This was the case with Farina Town, at that time the ter- 
minus of the Adelaide line. 

Mrs. Branican was not to sojourn long here. Zach Fren 
had proved himself as intelligent as active. The commissa- 
riat portion of the expedition collected by him consisted in 
four wagons drawn by oxen, with their drivers, two buggies 
with a pair of strong horses each, also the drivers belong- 
ing to them. The wagons were already loaded with the va- 
rious articles of camping material that had been forwarded 
from Adelaide. When the stores from the train would be 
packed on them, they would be ready to start. It would 
mean a delay of twenty-four or thirty-six hours. 

This very day Mrs. Branican inspected this considerable 
Stock in detail ; and Tom Marix, in so far as his escort was 
concerned, approved of every measure taken by Zach Fren. 
Under such conditions they would, without difficulty, reach 
the extreme limit of that region within which the horses and 
cattle would find grass and water, but beyond which the 
tiniest spring of water would become a scarcity, 

“Mrs. Branican,” said Tom Marix, “ so long as we fol- 
low the telegraph line, the country will supply our wants, 
and our animals will not suffer much. But as soon as we 
turn westward, we will have to get camels both for 
pack and saddle, instead of our horses and oxen. They 
alone can stand the burning heat and do without water 
for the several days which sometimes separate one well 
from another.” 

“ I know that, Marix,” replied Dolly, “ and I will trust to 


230 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


your experience. We will change our mounts on our ar- 
rival at Alice Spring, and I hope it may be soon.” 

“ The men with the camels started off four days ago,” 
observed Fren. “ They'll wait for us there till we come.” 

“And do not forget, madam,” added Tom Marix, “that 
there the real difficulties of your journey will only com- 
mence.” 

“We will get over them ! ” replied Dolly. 

And so, according to the carefully drawn plan, the first 
part of. the trip was about to be accomplished with the 
horses, buggies, and wagons. Out of the thirty members 
of the escort the fifteen white men were to be mounted ; 
but as those thick forests and capriciously undulating terri- 
tories would not allow of very long stages, the blacks could 
without difficulty follow on foot. When the contemplated 
change would be made at Alice Spring, the camels would 
be reserved for the white men engaged in reconnoitering, 
either in search of information regarding the whereabouts 
of wandering tribes, or in quest of the wells scattered over 
the deserts. 

It is worthy of note here that this is the mode of trans- 
continental traveling adopted ever since camels have been 
so advantageously introduced into Australia. The ex- 
plorers at the time of Burke and Sturt would not have 
been subjected to such hardships, could they have had these 
useful animals at their disposal. It was in 1 866 that Mr. 
Elder imported them from India in considerable quantities, 
with a certain number of Afghan drivers, and they have 
since then thrived and prospered. It is no doubt thanks to 
their use that Colonel Warburton was able to achieve that 
daring campaign, from Alice Spring to Rockbonne on the 
coast of Witt Land on Nickel Bay. Later on, if David 
Lindsay succeeded in crossing the continent from north to 
south with pack-horses, it was owing, as was remarked pre- 
viously, to his having kept within those districts over which 



“ Oh, it’s him, 


sure enough!" (/. 233). 


















































THE EXPRESS PROM ADELAIDE. 23 1 

the telegraph line runs and where he found water and 
fodder. 

And while talking of those adventurous explorers, who 
do not hesitate facing dangers and fatigues of all kinds, 
Zach Fren incidentally remarked : 

“ You khow, Mrs. Branican, that there are folks ahead 
of us on the road to Alice Spring ? ” 

“ Ahead of us, Zach ? ” 

“ Yes, ma’am. Don’t you remember the Englishman and 
his Chinese servant who took passage on the Brisbane from 
Melbourne to Adelaide ? ” 

“ Yes, I do,” replied Dolly, “ but they landed at Ade- 
laide. Did they not stay there ? ” 

“No, ma’am. Three days ago, Jos Merritt — that’s his 
name — landed by rail at Farina Town. He asked me a 
number of questions about our trip, what route we would 
take and all that ; and all he said, every time, was ‘ Right, 
that’s quite right,’ while his Chinaman nodded his head 
back and forw-ard, as much as to say, ‘I don’t think it’s all 
right, I don’t ! ’ Then, the next day, at daybreak, they were 
off, both of them, due north.” 

“ And how are they traveling?” inquired Dolly. 

“ On horseback ; but once they reach Alice Spring, they 
will sort of change their steamer for a sailing vessel — just 
like ourselves.” 

“ Is this Englishman an explorer then?” 

“ He doesn’t look much like one. I guess he looks a 
great deal more like a crank than like a souwester ! ” 

“ And he did not say why he was thus going off into the 
wilds of Australia ? ” 

“ No, ma’am. Anyhow, having no one but his China- 
man, I reckon he won’t expose himself beyond the inhabited 
part of the country. A pleasant trip to him ! Maybe we’ll 
drop on him again at Alice Spring ! ” 

The following day, the nth of September, at five o’clock 


mistress branican . 


$32 

in the afternoon everything was in readiness. The wagons 
had been loaded with sufficient provisions for the whole 
journey. They consisted in preserved meat and vegetables 
of the best American brands, flour, tea, sugar, and salt, not 
to speak of the useful stock contained in the medicine chest. 
The supply of whisky, gin, and brandy filled 'a certain 
number of small casks, which would, later on, be put on 
the backs of the camels. A considerable quantity of to- 
bacco also figured among the provisions — an item all the 
more indispensable as, besides being of use to the members 
of the expedition, it would be a convenient medium of 
exchange with the natives, who use it as currency. With 
tobacco and brandy one could buy up all the tribes of 
Western Australia. A large portion of this tobacco, a few 
rolls of prints, and a quantity of knickknacks was to be 
the price of Captain John’s ransom. 

As to the camping material, tents, blankets, bales of 
clothing, and linen, the personal luggage of Mrs. Branican 
and her maid Harriet, of Zach Fren and of the leader of 
the escort, the necessary utensils for the cooking, petroleum 
for fuel, the ammunition of lead and bullet, cartridges for 
the fowling-pieces and the arms intrusted to Tom Marix’s 
men, all these were on the wagons. 

Mrs. Branican, naturally impatient to be en route , fixed 
the departure for the next day. It was agreed that at 
dawn the caravan would leave Farina Town, and set out 
northward along the Overland Telegraph Line. 

That evening about nine o’clock, Dolly and her maid had 
just returned home to their little house near the depot, ac- 
companied by Zach Fren. The door had been locked, and 
all three were about retiring to their respective rooms when 
a light knock was heard at the street entrance. 

Zach Fren opened the door, and could not keep back an 
exclamation of surprise. 


THE EXPRESS FROM ADELAIDE. 233 

Before him, a bundle under his arm and his cap in his 
hand, stood the apprentice of the Brisbane. 

In truth, it seemed as though Mrs. Branican had guessed 
it was he ! Yes ! And how was this to be explained ? 
Although she did not expect to see him any more, had she 
a presentiment that he would endeavor to meet her again ? 
Be that as it may, the name “ Godfrey ! ” instinctively burst 
from her lips before she could possibly see him. 

Godfrey had arrived by train from Adelaide half an hour 
previously. 

A few days before the departure of the steamer, he had 
asked the captain of the Brisbane for his pay, and had come 
ashore. Once there, he had refrained from calling at Mrs. 
Branican’s hotel in King William Street ; but how often he 
had followed her without being seen, without seeking the 
least opportunity to speak to her ! Meanwhile he had kept 
posted up on what was going on ; he had ascertained that 
Zach Fren had gone to Farina Town to organize the expe- 
dition ; and then, when Mrs. Branican herself had left Ade- 
laide, he, too, started off, determined to keep within sight 
of her. 

What was his ultimate object ? Why had he thus thrown 
up his position ? Dolly was not to be long in ignorance on 
this point. 

Godfrey had been brought in and stood before her. 

“ It is you, my boy ? You, Godfrey ?” she asked, taking 
him by the hand. 

“ Oh, it’s him, sure enough, and what does he want now ? ” 
grumbled Zach Fren. 

“ Mrs. Branican,” exclaimed Godfrey, “ what I want is to 
go with you, ma’am ! I want to be with you anywhere you 
go, and never to leave you again ! I want to be one of the 
party that will look for Captain Branican, and find him, and 
fetch him home, and bring him back to San Diego,” 


234 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Dolly could not contain her emotion. In the lad’s every 
feature she could see John, her well beloved John. 

And he, at her knees, his hands stretched toward her, 
kept on repeating : 

“ Do take me with you, won’t you, ma’am ?” 

“ You shall come, my child, you shall ! ” cried Dolly ; 
and she clasped him in her arms. 


CHAPTER V. 

ACROSS SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 

T HE caravan set out at daybreak on the 12th of 
September. 

The weather was fine, the heat cooled by a gentle breeze. 
A few light clouds lessened the strength of the sun’s rays. 
Under this 31st parallel, and at this time of the year, 
the warm season was setting in in earnest in the zone of 
the Australian continent. Explorers know but too well 
how terrible this season is in the central plains, where 
the sweltering human being finds neither rain nor shade. 

It was a pity that circumstances had not permitted Mrs. 
Branican to undertake her campaign five or six months 
sooner. During the winter the hardships of such a jour- 
ney would have been bearable. The cold — which some- 
times causes the thermometer to fall as low as freezing 
point — is less to be feared than the heat, which raises the 
mercury above forty degrees C. in the shade. Previously to 
the month of May, the moisture in the air comes down in 
abundant showers, the creeks revive and the wells fill up. 
No need to travel for days in search of water, under a boil- 
ing sun. The Australian desert is less merciful to cara- 
vans than the African Sahara : the latter possesses oases 


ACROSS SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 


235 


that are wanting to tHe other ; the former may be justly 
called “ the land of thirst ! ” 

But Mrs. Branican did not have the choice of time or dis- 
trict. She set out because she should do so ; she would 
face these terrible contingencies of the climate because they 
had to be confronted. There should be no delay in finding 
Captain John, in tearing him away from the natives, were 
she to succumb through it, as Harry Felton had done. 
True, the privations undergone by this unfortunate man 
were not in store for her expedition, organized as it was 
with a view to overcome all possible difficulties, so far, at 
least, as it was practically and morally possible. 

The party now consisted of forty-one persons, since 
Godfrey’s arrival. The following was the marching order 
adopted on their way north of Farina Town, in the midst 
of forests and along creeks which, as yet, presented no seri- 
ous obstacles. 

Right ahead was a vanguard of fifteen Australian natives, 
dressed in jackets and pants of white cotton stuff, straw hats 
on their heads, and, as usual, barefooted, armed with a rifle 
and a revolver each, and a round of cartridges in their belts; 
they were commanded by a white man, who acted as scout. 

After them, in a buggy drawn by two horses and driven by 
a native, came Mrs. Branican and Harriet. A hood, fitted 
in such a way that it could be let down when needed, would 
shelter them in case of rain or storm. 

In the other buggy were seated Zach Fren and Godfrey. 
Whatever annoyance the boatswain may have felt at the 
young apprentice’s arrival, it was not long ere he grew 
very fond of him, seeing the affection he showed Mrs. 
Branican. 

The four ox-wagons came next, guided by four drivers, 
and the speed of the caravan would be adapted to the pace 
of these animals, whose recent introduction into Australia 


23 6 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


has proved a considerable addition 'to the usual means of 
transportation and of agricultural labor. 

On each side and in the rear rode the remainder of the 
escort, dressed like their leader, Tom Marix, pants tucked 
into their boots, a woolen jacket fastened by a belt, a white 
cotton helmet, a light rubber cloak slung over their shoul- 
ders, and armed in the same way as their colored compan- 
ions. These men, being on horseback, were intended for 
the reconoitering of the route, or scouting ahead to find a 
suitable camping ground for the midday rest or the even- 
ing halt. 

In this way the caravan could cover from twelve to 
thirteen miles a day, over very uneven ground, sometimes 
through thick forests, in which the wagons made but little 
headway. At night the organizing of the camp devolved 
on Tom Marix, who was an experienced hand at this task. 
Then the little party settled down to rest and started again 
at sunrise the next morning. 

The journey from Farina Town to Alice Spring— about 
350 miles — not presenting any serious dangers or great 
fatigues, would probably require about thirty days, and 
would not be completed, therefore, before the first eight or 
ten days in October. 

On leaving Farina Town, they were able to follow, for a 
certain number of miles, the line of the works undertaken 
for the continuation of the railroad. They then turned 
west of the Williowan Range, taking the direction already 
marked out by the poles of the Overland telegraph line. 

While going along, Mrs. Branican asked Tom Marix, who 
was riding by the side of her buggy, several questions about 
this line. 

“It was in 1870, madam,” said he, “sixteen years after 
the declaration of independence of South Australia, that the 
colonists thought of putting up these wires between Port 
Adelaide and Port Darwin, — from the south to the north 


A CROSS SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 


237 


of the continent. The works were carried on with such activ- 
ity that they were completed about the middle of 1872.” 

“ But had not the continent to be explored first, from one 
end to the other ? ” asked Mrs. Branican. 

“ It had, of course ; ten years before that, in 1861, one of 
our most daring explorers had not only crossed it, but taken 
some observations to the east and west as well.” 

“And who was the constructor of this line?” asked 
Dolly. 

“An engineer, as bold as he was skilled, Mr. Todd, 
postmaster-general of Adelaide, a fellow-citizen of ours 
whom Australia honors as he deserves to be.” 

“ Was he able to find here the necessary material for 
such an undertaking ? ” 

“ No, madam,” replied Tom Marix, “ he was obliged to 
get the insulators, the wire, and even the posts from Europe. 
Nowadays the colony would be able to furnish materials 
for any kind of industrial enterprise.” 

“ Did the natives allow him to work without interfering ? ” 

“ At first they did better, or rather worse than interfer- 
ing, Mrs. Branican. They destroyed the materials : the 
wires for the metal, and the posts to make hatchets. Hence 
over a distance of 1850 miles there were incessant encoun- 
ters with the natives, although not to their advantage. 
Still they would persist in making trouble, and really I 
believe the work would have been abandoned, had not Mr. 
Todd been struck with an idea worthy of an engineer, of a 
genius even. He captured a few native chiefs and gave 
them a certain number of electric shocks by means of a 
strong battery, and they were at the same time so frightened 
and so thoroughly shaken that their comrades never dared to 
come near the poles again. The line was then completed 
and it now works regularly.” 

“ Is it not taken care of by agents ? ” asked Mrs. 
Branican, 


238 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ By agents, no,” replied Tom Marix, “ but by the colored 
police.” 

“ And don’t these police ever go as far as the central or 
western regions ! ” 

“ Never, or at least hardly ever, madam. There are so 
many thieves, bushrangers, and others to look after in the 
inhabited districts ! ” 

“ But how is it no one ever thought of sending this 
police after the Indas, when it was known that Captain 
Branican was their prisoner — and that for so many years ?” 

“ You forget, madam, that we have been aware of it, and 
you yourself have only heard about it through Harry Felton, 
a few weeks ago at most ! ” 

“ You are right,” replied Dolly, “just a few weeks ! ” 

“I do know for a fact,” continued Marix, “that the 
colored police have received orders to explore round about 
Tasmania, and that a strong detachment is to be sent out 
that way, but I greatly fear ” 

Tom Marix stopped. Mrs. Branican had not perceived 
his hesitation. 

The truth is, that determined as he was to fulfill to the 
very letter the duties he had accepted, Tom Marix looked 
upon the result of this search as very doubtful. He knew 
how hard it was to catch those nomad tribes of Australia. 
So he could not share either the ardent faith of Mrs. 
Branican, or Zach Fren’s conviction, or yet Godfrey’s 
instinctive trust. Still, as a matter of course, he would be 
faithful to his duty. 

On the evening of the 15th, round a bend of the Deroy 
hills, the caravan encamped at the village of Boorloo. To 
the north could be seen the summit of Mount Attraction, 
beyond which lie Illusion Plains. From the bringing 
together of these names is the reader to conclude that if 
the mountain is attractive the plain is deceptive ? This 
may not be the place to enter into the subject ; but the 


A CROSS SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 


2 39 


nomenclature of Australian cartography does contain names 
which really seem to have a moral as well as a physical 
import. 

It is at Boorloo that the telegraph line swerves almost at 
right angles toward the west, and a dozen miles farther on 
it crosses Cabanna Creek. But what is a simple matter for 
aerial wires stretched from one pole to another is not so 
easy for a party of pedestrians and horsemen ; and here a 
fordable passage had to be discovered. The young appren- 
tice would not leave to others the credit of finding one. 
Resolutely plunging into th& swift and tumultuous current, 
he found a bank, which enabled the wagons and carts to 
reach the other side at no greater depth than the height of 
their axle-trees. 

On the 17th the expedition encamped on the last ramifica- 
tions of the Northwest Mountain, which rises some ten 
miles further south. 

The country being inhabited, Mrs. Branican and her 
companions received the warmest welcome in one of those 
immense farms, the area of which in actual use covers 
several thousand acres. Sheep farming on a large scale* 
the growing of wheat on wide treeless plains, the cultiva- 
tion of sorgho and millet, immense tracts ready for the 
seeds of the forthcoming season, plantations of olive trees 
and other indigenous growths of these warm latitudes, 
several hundred heads of cattle for the plow and the cart, 
a number of hands proportionate to the requirements of 
such extensive labors, — hands subjected to a quasi-military 
discipline which reduces man almost to slavery, — of such are 
made up those domains that are the wealth of the inland 
provinces of the Australian continent. If Mrs. Branican 
had not been sufficiently* supplied with provisions at the 
start, she would have found all she needed there, thanks to 
the generosity of the rich farmers, the'“free-selecters,” who 
own these agricultural stations. 


240 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


These huge industrial centers are now on the increase ; 
and large districts that the absence of water rendered un- 
productive are on the point of being cultivated. In truth, 
the subsoil of the country then traveled over by our party, 
ten or twelve miles southwest of Lake Eyre, was intersected 
with limpid streams ; and the artesian wells recently con- 
structed yielded already up to 300,000 gallons per day. 

The 18th of September, Tom Marix established the camp 
for the night at the southern extremity of South Lake Eyre, 
a lake of considerable size, the overflow of North Lake 
Eyre. On its woody banks could be seen a flock of those 
curious wading birds, of which the “ jabiru ” is the most 
remarkable specimen, and flocks of black swans mixed up 
with cormorants, pelicans, and herons with white, gray, or 
blue plumage. 

A strange geographical disposition is that of the said 
lakes. They succeed each other in a line from the south to 
the north of Australia, like so many beads on one long thread : 
first, Lake Torrens with the railroad skirting its banks, then 
the smaller Lake Eyre, the larger lake of the same name, 
and lastly, lakes Frome, Blanche, and Amedei. They are 
sheets of saltish water, remnants of some old inland sea, 
which owe their preservation to the natural receptacles in 
which we now find them. 

As a fact, geologists are inclined to the belief that this 
continent was once divided into two islands, — at a period 
indeed not very far remote. It had been already noticed 
that the periphery of the continent shows a tendency to rise 
higher and higher above the level of the sea, and there 
seems to be little doubt but the center is subject to a con- 
tinual rising. The ancient basin will, therefore, become 
filled up in the course of time ; and thus will disappear the 
lakes now scattered along the 130th and the 140th degrees 
of latitude. 

Between the extremity of South Lake Eyre and Emerald 





















































Fording Cabanna Creek (/. 239). 



















A CROSS SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 


241 


Spring station, where they arrived on the evening of the 
30th of September, our travelers covered a distance of 
about seventeen miles, across a country covered with mag- 
nificent forests, the trees of which rose to a height of 250 
feet. 

Accustomed as was Dolly to the forests of California, 
and their gigantic sequoias, she could have admired this 
marvelous vegetation, had not her thoughts been con- 
stantly turned toward the northwest to those barren des- 
erts where the sandy downs can barely afford nourishment 
for a few stunted shrubs. She saw nothing of these gi- 
gantic ferns, of which Australia possesses the most remark- 
able kinds, nothing of those enormous groves of eucalypti 
with weeping foliage, grouped here and there on the slight 
undulations of the soil. 

It is curious to observe the absence of brushwood at the 
foot of these trees ; the ground on which they thrive is clear 
of brambles and thorns ; their lowest branches are from 
twelve to fifteen feet above the soil. Nothing remains on it 
but a kind of golden yellow grass, which never dries up. 
The animals have destroyed the young plants, and the fires 
made by the squatters have burnt up bush and shrub alike. 
So, although no actual tracks exist across these vast forests, 
so different from the forests in Africa, through which you 
can plod on for six months without coming to an issue, lo- 
comotion here is but little impeded. 

The buggies and wagons moved on with comparative ease 
between these widely scattered trees, under their lofty cov- 
ering of foliage. 

Besides, Tom Marix knew the country well, having 
crossed it over and over again at the head of the Ade- 
laide police. Mrs. Branican could not have entrusted 
herself to a better or more devoted guide. No escort 
chief could have coupled so much zeal with so much in- 
telligence. 


MISTRESS BRANICAM. 


242 

Over and above this, Tom Marix had found a young, 
active, and resolute helper in the apprentice, who had shown 
so strong an attachment for Dolly ; indeed, the ardor dis- 
played by this youth of fourteen was hardly short of sur- 
prising. Godfrey spoke of going alone, if necessary, into 
the interior of the country. If ever traces of Captain John 
were discovered, it would be difficult, nay impossible, to 
hold him back. Everything in him was enthusiasm when 
he spoke of the missing captain ; his perseverance in 
studying the map of central Australia, in taking notes, 
and setting out for information during the halts instead 
of taking a much needed rest after the long day’s jour- 
ney, everything bespoke an energy of purpose that noth- 
ing could moderate. Very robust for his age, already 
hardened by his rough, seafaring life, he was almost 
always out of sight, ahead of the caravan. If ever he 
kept in his place it was only at Dolly’s expressed desire. 
Neither Zach Fren nor Tom Marix, although Godfrey 
showed great friendship for them, could have got from 
him what she obtained with a single look. No wonder 
if, yielding to her instinctive feelings in the presence 
of this lad, — John’s second self, — she allowed her affec- 
tion for him to grow into a mother’s love. If Godfrey 
was not her son according to nature’s law, he would be so 
at least by the laws of adoption. Godfrey should never 
leave her again — and John, she felt confident, would have 
the same affection for him as she had. 

One day, after an absence during which he had pushed 
several miles ahead of the caravan, Dolly said to him : 

“ My child, I want you to promise me never to go off in 
this way without my consent. When you are aw r ay I am 
uneasy until you are back again. You leave us sometimes 
for hours together in ignorance of your whereabouts.” 

“But you see, madam,” replied he, “I must be on the 
lookout for information. A native tribe had been signaled 



They moved on with comparative Ease between the 

WIDELY SCATTERED TREES (/. 241). 





ACROSS SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 243 

as camping on Warmer Creek. I wanted to see the chief 
and question him.” 

“ And what did he say ? ” asked Dolly. 

“ He did hear of a white man coming from the west who 
was making his way toward Queensland.” 

“ Who was this man ? ” 

“I found out at last that it was Harry Felton he was 
talking about, not Captain Branican. But we will find him 
yet ! That you may be sure of ! You have been a mother 
to me, madam. Well, I love him just as much as I love 
you ! ” 

“A mother !•” Dolly said to herself. 

“Only I know you, whereas Captain John, I have never 
seen him except for that photograph that you gave me ! I 
always carry it about with me, and sometimes I talk to it, 
and I imagine it answers me.” 

“You shall know him one day, my child,” replied Dolly, 
“ and he will be even as I am to you ! ” 

The 24th of September, after camping at Strangway 
Spring, beyond. Warmer Creek, the caravan halted at Wil- 
liam Spring, forty-two miles north of Emerald Station. 

From this name Spring,” given to so many different 
stations, it may be surmised that the water supply is rather 
abundant on the territories traversed by the telegraph 
line. Already, however, the warm season was sufficiently 
advanced to have almost dried up these springs, and it 
was no hard task to find a ford whenever the party came 
to a creek. 

It could be observed besides that as yet the powerful 
vegetation showed no signs of diminishing. If villages 
were met with but at long intervals, farm houses were seen 
continually. Hedges of thorny acacias, with which the air 
was perfumed, intermingled with sweet briar, formed an 
impenetrable enclosure. As to the forests, which were 
becoming thinner, the European trees, the oak, the plane, 


MISTRESS BRA MICA Af. 


* 44 

the willow, the poplar, and the tamarind, were getting rarer, 
and in their stead were found quantities of eucalyptus and 
spotted gum trees. 

“Well, those are funny trees !” cried Zach Fren, the first 
time he saw fifty of those gum trees in one huge clump. 
“You’d think their trunks were painted with all the colors 
of the rainbow.” 

“ What you take for a coat of paint, friend Zach,” replied 
Tom Marix, “is their natural color. The bark of those 
trees takes a different color according as vegetation is for- 
ward or slow. Here are some that are white, others pink, 
and more again red. Here ! look at those yonder ; the 
trunks are streaked with blue stripes or spotted with yellow 
patches.” 

“ That’s another freak to be added to the other funny 
things of your continent, Tom !” 

“Funny if you like ; but believe me, Zach, you pay my 
countrymen a compliment when you tell them so often that 
their country resembles no other. However, it will not be 
perfect until ” 

“ Until there isn’t a single native left, I suppose ! ” 
replied Zach Fren. 

Another remarkable fact was that in spite of the insuffi- 
cient foliage of these trees, birds resorted to them in great 
numbers. 

Magpies and paroquets, cockatoos with snow-white plum- 
age, laughing ocelots, which in M. D. Charnay’s opinion 
would be better named “sobbing ocelots”; then red- 
breasted “ tantolas ” whose cackle never ceases, flying 
squirrels, and chief among them, the polatouche, which 
sportsmen attract by imitating the cries of nocturnal birds; 
birds of paradise, and notably the velvety rifle-bird, looked 
upon as the most beautiful specimen of Australian birds ; 
lastly, on the lagoons or the marshes, couples of storks and 


A CROSS SOUTH AUSTRALIA . 245 

of those palmiped lotus birds that can run along on the 
leaves of the water-lilies. 

On the other hand hares abounded ; and many of them, 
not to speak of partridges and ducks, were of course 
brought down by Tom Marix, — which was so much of a 
saving for the provisions of the expedition. This game was 
simply broiled or roasted at night over the camp-fire. Now 
and again iguanas’ eggs were found, which the blacks de- 
lighted to eat. 

As to the creeks, they still provided some perch, a few 
long-snouted pike, numbers of mullets, so nimble that they 
jumped over the fisherman’s head, and above all swarms of 
eels. Now and again precautions had to be taken against 
crocodiles, which are very dangerous in their element. 
From all this comes the conclusion that lines and nets are 
appliances with which the Australian explorer should sup- 
ply himself, according to the strict recommendation given 
by Colonel Warburton. 

On the morning of the 29th our party left Umbum Station 
and set out over a hilly ground, very hard for pedestrians. 
Forty-eight hours later, to the west of Denison Ranges, 
they reached Peak Station, recently constructed for the use 
of the telegraph company. 

As Mrs. Branican had learnt from Marix’s detailed ac- 
count of Sturt’s travels, it was from this point that the 
explorer had started north, across territories previously 
almost unknown. 

From this station, for a distance of about sixty miles, 
they experienced a foretaste of the fatigues in store for 
them on the Australian desert. Their course lay over a 
very arid soil, as far as the banks of the Macumba River, 
then for about an equal distance, under equally trying con- 
ditions, up to the station at Lady Charlotte. 

On these vast hilly plains, varied here and there by a few 


246 


MISTRESS BRAN1CAN. 


clumps of trees with faded foliage, game, if game it could 
be called, was never wanting. There kangoroos indulged 
in their ungainly jumps and wallabis leaped prodigious 
distances. Then oppossums, bandicoots and dyasures, 
nestled, — “ nestled ” is the only word, — on the topmost 
branches of the gum trees. Now and again were seen couples 
of cassowaries, eagle-like for the bold, piercing glance of their 
eye, but whose flesh, unlike that of the eagle, affords pleas- 
ant and nutritious food, almost identical to beef. The trees 
were bunga-bungas, a kind of arancarias growing to a height 
of 250 feet in the north and west of Queensland. In these 
parts they were of smaller size and yielded a large nut, 
fairly good as food, which the natives are in the habit of 
using as such. 

Tom Marix had taken care to put his companions on their 
guard against bears, whose favorite lair is frequently the 
hollow trunk of a gum tree. This they soon found to be 
true, but the “ potorous,” as they are called here, were 
hardly more formidable than ordinary marsupians with 
overgrown claws. 

As to natives, the caravan had up to this hardly met with 
any. It is to the north, east, and west of the Overland tele- 
graph line that the tribes roam along from one camp to 
another. 

While journeying through these districts, daily growing 
more and more barren, Tom Marix had occasion to avail 
himself of a very peculiar instinct of the oxen yoked to the 
wagons. This instinct, which seems to have developed 
among them since their introduction, enables these animals 
to make their way to creeks, where they will be able to 
quench their thirst. They seldom make a mistake, and the 
traveler may follow them blindly. Another display of in- 
stinct on their part is sometimes greatly appreciated. 

Thus, on the morning of October 7th, the oxen of the 
leading wagon suddenly came to a standstill, and their 



















































































































a cross south Australia. 247 

example was immediately followed by the others. In vain 
did the drivers goad them on : they would not move a step. 

Tom Marix, at once advised of the matter, rode up to 
Mrs. Branican’s buggy. 

“I know what it is, madam,” said he. “We have not 
met with any natives yet, but I am sure we are now crossing 
a habitual track of theirs, and as our oxen have scented 
their trail, they decline to move on.” 

“ And why so ?” asked Dolly. 

“ The exact reason is not known,” replied Marix, “ but 
the fact still remains. The way I am inclined to explain it 
is that the first oxen imported here were so badly used by 
the natives that they always remembered this ill treatment, 
and that the recollection of it has been transmitted from 
generation to generation.” 

Whether this singular example of atavism suggested by 
the escort chief was the reason of their obstinacy or not, it 
was very evident the oxen could not be made to move for- 
ward. They had to be unyoked, and then with whip and 
goad were compelled to walk backwards about twenty steps. 
In this way they crossed the path followed by the natives, 
whereupon they were put to again and the wagons resumed 
their course northward. 

When the party reached the banks of the Macumba River 
they were all able to satisfy their thirst. True, the heat had 
already brought down the level of the stream to one-half its 
usual height. But where there is not water enough to float 
a canoe there is more than sufficient to quench the thirst of 
forty people and twenty heads of cattle. 

On the 6th, the caravan crossed Hamilton Creek on the 
half covered stones which almost filled its bed ; by the 8th 
it had left Mount Hammersley to the east ; and on the 
morning of the 10th it reached Lady Charlotte station, 
having covered 320 miles since it left Farina Town. 

Mrs. Branican was now on the borderline separating 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


248 

South Australia from Alexandra Land, also called the 
Northern Territory. It was Sturt who made this territory 
known in i860, when he pushed his exploration along the 
131st meridian as far as the 21st degree of latitude. 


CHAPTER VI. 

AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. 

T OM MARIX suggested to Mrs. Branican the advisability 
of taking twenty-four hours’ rest at Lady Charlotte 
station. Although the journey had been, effected without 
much difficulty, the heat had told on the animals. It was a 
long way to Alice Spring yet, and it was of importance that 
the wagons carrying the baggage should reach there safely. 

Dolly readily assented to so reasonable a proposal, and 
preparations were hastily made for a halt. A few huts 
were all that this station consisted of, the population of 
which was about being trebled for one day by the rescuing 
party. A camp had, therefore, to be set up. But a rich 
squatter in the immediate vicinity offered Mrs. Branican 
more comfortable quarters, and he pressed them upon her 
so cordially that she needs should accept his invitation and 
repair to Waldeck Hill, where a comfortable dwelling was 
placed at her disposal. 

This squatter was only the tenant of one of those vast 
domains called “ runs” in Australia. Some of these runs 
comprise no fewer than 600,000 acres, and even more, par- 
ticularly in Victoria. Although Waldeck Hill was not of 
such dimensions, it was, none the less, considerable. Sur- 
rounded with paddocks, it was especially devoted to sheep 
farming, — a business necessitating a number of employees, 
of shepherds to mind the flocks, and of those wild dogs 
whose bark resembles so closely the howl of a wolf. 



Their favorite Lair is the holi.ow 

Tree (/. 246). 


Trunk of a Gum 




AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. 249 

The nature of the soil is the primary consideration 
when the starting of a run is in contemplation, plains on 
which the salt bush grows spontaneously being preferred. 
These bushes contain a nutritious sap which recalls the 
taste of asparagus, or sometimes that of aniseed, and are 
greedily sought after by the “pig-faced” sheep, the usual 
breed in these parts. 

When, on examination, the ground has been found fit for 
pasture land, a crop of grass is at once raised on it, but 
this is for the benefit of bulls an£ cows ; for the sheep, 
whose tastes, it seems, are more fastidious, will eat none 
but the finer growth of the second crop. 

It must not be forgotten that the wool of these sheep is 
the main source of Australia’s great wealth, and that at 
present there are no less than 100,000,000 representatives 
of the ovine race on that continent. 

On the run at Waldeck Hill, around the principal build- 
ing and the dwellings of the workmen, there were large 
ponds fed from a well supplied creek, in which to wash the 
animals before they were shorn. In front were the sheds in 
which the squatter kept the bales of wool previous to for- 
warding them to Adelaide. 

This happened to be shearing time at the run. A few 
days before, a band of itinerant shearers had called, as is 
usual, to ply their lucrative industry ; and when Mrs. Bran- 
ican, accompanied by Zach Fren, appeared on the scene, 
they were struck with the surprising animation that reigned 
there. The men, being on “ piece-work,” did not lose a 
moment, and, as the more skillful can shear a hundred 
sheep a day, they can make as much as five dollars in that 
time. The creaking of the huge shears, the bleating of the 
animals when they received an accidental cut, the shouts 
of the men, the going and coming of the workmen who 
carried the wool to the sheds, all this was curious to note. 
And above the din could be heard the voices of the young 


250 


MISTRESS BRAN/CAM. 


lads calling, “ tar ! tar ! ” as they brought pails of this 
liquid from one to the other, to heal the wounds inflicted 
by the more careless shearers. 

For all these people overseers are required if the work is 
to be well done ; nor were they wanting at Waldeck Hill ; 
indeed, over and above the clerks in the office, there were a 
dozen men and women whose duty it was to see that others 
did their duty. 

And what was Mrs. Branican’s surprise — more than sur- 
prise, her bewilderment — when she heard her name spoken 
a few paces behind herl And at the same instant a woman 
ran up to her, threw herself at her knees, with outstretched 
hands and beseeching look. 

It was Jane Burker — Jane, less aged by years than by 
trouble, gray haired, sunburnt, almost unrecognizable, and 
yet instantly recognized by Dolly. 

“Jane ! ” she gasped. 

And lifting her up, she clasped her in her arms. 

How had the Burkers lived during these twelve years ? 
A miserable life, — and even a criminal life, in so far as 
Jane’s husband was concerned. 

On leaving San Diego, under the circumstances that we 
know, Len Burker had concealed himself in Mazatlan, one 
of the ports on the west coast of Mexico. It will be re- 
membered that he had left the colored woman No at 
Prospect House, in charge of Dolly Branican, who had not 
recovered her senses at that time yet. But shortly after, 
when the poor invalid was placed by Mr. Andrew under 
Dr. Brumley’s care, the discharged servant had made her 
way to her master’s hiding place, which she was, of course, 
acquainted with. 

Naturally, Len Burker had assumed a false name at 
Mazatlan and the Californian police failed to track him. 
In any case he remained but a few weeks in that town. 
Two or three thousand piasters — the remains of his ill- 


AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. 251 

gotten funds, and of Mrs. Branican’s little fortune in par- 
ticular — were all he possessed. Continuing his business in 
the United States was out of the question ; he therefore re- 
solved to leave America. Australia struck him as a favor- 
able field wherein to try his luck at any price before he 
should be reduced to his last dollar. 

Jane, ever under the absolute command of her husband, 
had not the courage to resist him. Mrs. Branican, her 
only relative, was now lost to the world. As to Captain 
John, his fate could no longer be doubted. The Franklin 
had perished with all hands. John would never return to 
San Diego. Nothing would now save Jane from the path on 
when Len Burker was hurrying her along, and in this way 
she was carried off to Australia. 

It was at Sydney that Len Burker landed, and there he 
spent his last resources in starting a new “ business.” 
Avoiding certain “ mistakes” he had committed at San 
Diego, he was able to make fresh dupes, but it was not long 
before he plunged into adventurous schemes, and soon 
lost the little profit his cunning had at first procured him. 

Eighteen months after his landing in Australia, Len Bur- 
ker had to leave Sydney. Reduced to a penurious condition 
which bordered on poverty, he was obliged to seek his luck 
elsewhere. Nor did fortune favor him in Brisbane, from 
which town he had soon to run away for safety to the 
furthermost district of Queensland. 

Jane always followed him. Resigned to her fate, she was 
reduced to manual labor to provide means for their susten- 
ance. Harshly, coarsely treated by the colored servant, who 
was still LenBurker’s evil genius, how often the unfortunate 
woman thought of running away, of breaking with her 
present existence, its humiliations and its sorrows. But 
this was above her strength, or rather her weakness. The 
poor dog, daily kicked and buffeted, will not leave his 
master’s house ! 


252 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


By this time Len Burker had heard, through the news- 
papers, of the endeavors made to find the survivors of the 
Franklin. Those two voyages of the Dolly's Hope, under- 
taken at Mrs. Branican’s desire, had led him to other dis- 
coveries : Dolly had recovered her reason after four years’ 
stay in Dr. Brumley’s asylum ; meanwhile her uncle Edward 
Starter had died in Tennessee, and his enormous fortune 
had enabled her to fit out these two expeditions to the Malay 
Seas and to the North Australian shores. The final result 
of all the searching was that the remains of the Franklin 
had been found on the rocks of Browse Island, and that the 
last of the survivors had perished on that island. 

Between Dolly’s fortune and Jane, her only heiress, the 
only obstacle was a bereaved mother, a wife whose husband 
was now no more and whose health could not but be under- 
mined by so many cruel misfortunes. This is how Len 
Burker reasoned within himself. But what could he do ? 
Renew his former relations with Mrs. Branican, he could 
not. Apply to her for help through Jane, he dared not ; for 
if discovered he was liable to arrest, and at the mercy of an 
extradition order, which would have been readily obtained 
against him. And yet, were Dolly to die, how could he pre- 
vent her fortune from slipping out of Jane’s hands, that is 
to say out of his own ? 

It has not been forgotten that about seven years had 
elapsed between the return of the Dolly's Hope after her 
second voyage and the time when the reappearance of 
Harry Felton had revived the question of the Franklin 
disaster. 

During this period Len Burker’s existence had become 
more miserable than ever. From the illegal business trans- 
actions he had carried on without scruple, he had drifted 
to crime. Time came when a permanent home of any kind 
had become an impossibility for him, and Jane had to sub- 
mit to the hardships of his wandering life. 



Sheep-Shearing at Waldeck Hill (/. 249) 








AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. 


253 


The servant N6 had died ; but the death of this woman, 
whose influence had been so fatal to her husband, was no 
relief to Jane. She was nothing more now than the com- 
panion of a criminal, and the latter dragged her along after 
him through that immense country, where so many crimes 
remain unpunished. After the auriferous mines of Victoria 
had been exhausted and the thousands of diggers who then 
found themselves without work had departed, the country 
was overrun by a population whose respect for law had not 
been fostered or heightened by their acquaintance with 
placer-life. 

Soon these vagrants, known in the South Australian dis- 
tricts under the name of “ larrikins ” had formed themselves 
into dangerous bands, scoured the country far and near, 
and did not leave a crime undone, whenever they were too 
closely pursued by the city police. 

Such were the men whom Len Burker made his com- 
panions, when his notoriety expelled him from the larger 
towns. Then as he moved further toward those districts 
where police supervision is more difficult, he joined band 
after band of various nomadic ruffians, among others 
those terrible “bushrangers,” whose rise dates from the 
first years of the colony, and whose race has never been 
exterminated. 

To this low degree in the social ladder Len Burker had 
fallen ! During these last years to what extent he took 
part in the pillaging of farms, in highway robberies, in 
all the crimes that human justice was unable to punish, he 
alone could tell. Yes ! he alone ; for Jane, almost always 
abandoned to herself in some lone village, was not let into 
the secret of those abominations ; and it was quite possible 
that blood had been spilt by the hand of that man whom 
she had long ceased to esteem, but never consented to 
betray. 

Twelve years had passed in this way when Harry Felton’s 


254 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


sudden return again roused public opinion. The news was 
spread abroad by the newspapers, those of Australia in par- 
ticular. Len Burker learned it while reading a copy of the 
Sydney Morning Herald , in a little village in Queensland, 
where he was hiding after a bout at robbery and incen- 
diarism, which, thanks to the timely intervention of the 
police, had not precisely turned out to the advantage of 
the bushrangers. 

At the same time as he heard about Harry Felton, 
Burker saw that Mrs. Branican had left San Diego on her 
way to Sydney to obtain information from the mate of the 
Franklin. Just then, too, the rumor came that Felton had 
died after giving a few directions concerning Captain John. 
Then again, some time after, Len Burker was informed 
that Mrs. Branican had just landed at Adelaide, with the 
view of organizing an expedition, which she would accom- 
pany herself, and which would visit the central and north- 
west deserts of Australia. 

When Jane heard of her cousin’s arrival on Australian 
soil, her first thought was that of running away and seeking 
protection from her. But before the threats of Len Burker, 
who guessed her intentions, she did not dare put her project 
into execution. 

It was then that the wretch resolved to turn events to 
his profit without any delay. The time had come. To 
meet Mrs. Branican on her way, to win her good graces 
with his cunning hypocrisy, and get her to take him with 
her across' the wilds of Australia, nothing was easier, and 
above all, more likely to serve his purpose. Indeed, it was 
hardly probable that Captain John, admitting that he was 
still alive, could be found with these wanderjng natives, and 
it was quite possible that Dolly might succumb in the 
course of this dangerous expedition. All her fortune 
would then fall to Jane, her only relative. Who knows? 
The tide of human things sometimes proves remarkably 


AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. 255 

lucky, when one has the talent or the cunning to make it 
turn ! 

Of course Burker took good care not to acquaint Jane 
with his new plan. He parted company with the bush- 
rangers, — he could always rely on them should he require 
a helping hand later on, — left Queensland, and came to 
Lady Charlotte station, which was but a hundred miles 
distant, and by which the caravan would of necessity pass 
on its way to Alice Spring. That is why, for the past three 
weeks, Len Burker had been at the run of Waldeck Hill, 
where he acted as foreman. It was there he was awaiting 
Dolly, fully determined to allow no crime to stand between 
him and the fortune he coveted. 

On her arrival at Lady Charlotte, Jane, as we said, sus- 
pected nothing. We can then imagine her emotion, the ir- 
resistible, instinctive impulse to which she gave way, when 
she suddenly found herself in Mrs. Branican’s presence. 

This outburst of feeling served Burker’s end too well 
for him to dream of interfering. 

The wretched fellow was now forty-five years of age. 
He had aged but little ; his frame was still, as of old, 
straight and full of vigor, and still as of old too, his eye had 
that false, ever-flinching under-gaze, his features were 
stamped with that same lack of truth, which inspired everyone 
with distrust. As to Jane, she looked ten years older than 
she really was ; her features were withered, her hair had 
grown gray around her temples, her body seemed crushed 
down under the weight of her troubles. Yet her eye, 
whose light was deadened by sorrow, brightened up again 
when she perceived Dolly. 

After the first moment of emotion, Mrs. Branican led 
Jane into cfcie of the rooms put at her disposal by the 
squatter. There the two women could give vent to their 
feelings in quietness. Dolly remembered nothing but the 
care bestowed on her by Jane at Prospect House. She 


256 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


had nothing to reproach her with and she was ready to 
forgive her husband, if he would but leave Jane with 
her. 

Their conversation lasted for a considerable time ; still 
Jane only related concerning the past what she could reveal 
without compromising her husband, and Mrs. Branican 
thoughtfully refrained from urging her on this subject. She 
felt how much the poor creature had suffered and was still 
suffering. Was not this, in her mind, enough to make Jane 
worthy of her pity, of all her affection ? Captain John’s 
situation, her unshaken conviction that she would soon find 
him again, the efforts she would use to succeed, this is what 
she spoke about principally — not forgetting the child she 
had lost — poor little Wat. And as she dwelt on his memory, 
ever present in her mind, Jane became so pale, her face un- 
derwent such a change that Dolly thought the unfortunate 
woman would fall in a swoon. 

Jane, however, recovered her self-possession, and she 
needs had to go over the events of her life from the fatal 
day on which her cousin had become insane up to the time 
when Len Burker had obliged her to leave San Diego. 

“ Is it possible, my poor Jane,” Dolly would say, “ is it 
possible that during those fourteen months that you nursed 
me, no gleam of light ever passed through my brain ? Is 
it possible I had no recollection of my poor John ? Did I 
never utter his name — or that of our dear little Wat ? ” 

“ Never, Dolly, never ! ” murmured Jane, who could not 
hold back her tears. 

“ And you, Jane, you, dear, in whose veins the same blood 
runs as in mine, you could not penetrate deeper into my 
soul ? You did not notice in my words or in my looks that 
I had any consciousness of the past ? ” 

“ No, Dolly ! ” 

“ Well then, Jane, I am going to tell you what I have 
never told anyone. Yes — when I recovered my reason — » 














■ 





















































































































. 



















































. 



















1 






“Leave her with me" (/ 


257) 






AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. 257 

Yes — I bad the presentiment that John was alive, that I 
was not a widow — and it also seemed to me that 

“ What ? ” asked Jane, and she awaited Dolly’s answer 
with eyes agazed and a look of inexplicable terror in her 
face. 

“Yes, Jane,” continued Dolly, “I had a presentiment 
that I was still a mother ! ” 

Jane stood up, waving her hands before her, as though 
trying to drive away some horrible vision ; her lips moved 
without uttering a word. Dolty, wholly absorbed in her 
own thought, did not remark her agitation, and Jane had 
overcome her excitement when her husband appeared at the 
door of the room. 

Len Burker stood on the threshold, darting glances at 
his wife which seemed to ask : 

“ What have you been telling ? ” 

Jane fell back, morally, physically overpowered by Len 
Burker’s scowl. 

Mrs. Branican understood it all. The sight of this man 
brought back the past to her, with the remembrance of 
what Jane had suffered through him. But whatever harsh 
words she might have spoken died on her lips : she was de- 
termined to sacrifice her grievances and lay aside her aver- 
sion, so as not to be separated again from Jane. 

“ Len Burker,” said she, “ you know what has brought 
me to Australia. It is a duty to which I will devote my- 
self until the day I see John again ; for he is alive. Since 
chance has put you in my path, since I have found Jane 
again, the only relative I possess, leave her with me and 
allow her to accompany me, according to her wish.” 

Burker made no answer at first. Knowing as he did the 
little sympathy Dolly felt for him, he wanted her to supple- 
ment her request with a proposal that he, too, should join 
the expedition ; but as she remained silent, he thought it 
best to broach the matter himself. 


2 5 8 


MISTRESS BRA MICA AT. 


“ Dolly,” said he, “ I will answer your proposal straight, 
and I may add that I expected it. I have no objection to 
my wife remaining with you. Ah ! we have had a hard life 
of it, both of us, since my bad luck compelled me to leave 
San Diego ! We have had a deal of hardship during the 
past fourteen years ; and you see yourself fortune h is not 
favored me much in Australia, either, since the most I can 
do is earning my bread from hand to mouth. When the 
shearing is over, here at the run, I will be without work 
again ; and at the same time it would grieve me to be away 
from Jane ; so I’ll ask you to let me join your party too. I 
know the natives up country ; I have had some dealings 
with them, and I will be of use to you. I am sure you 
understand, Dolly, how happy I would be to join my efforts 
to yours and those of your companions to rescue John 
Branican.” 

One thing Dolly did understand was that this was an es- 
sential condition to Burker’s consent. There was no ar- 
guing with such a man. Besides, if he could be trusted, he 
might really prove of some use, seeing that for a number of 
years his wanderings had led him through the central dis- 
tricts of the continent. So she simply said, in a rather 
cold tone : 

“ Very well, Burker, come with us ; and please get ready 
at once, as we leave Lady Charlotte at the first hour to- 
morrow.” 

“ I will be ready,” answered Burker, as he left the room, 
not daring to hold out his hand to Mrs. Branican. 

When Zach Fren heard that Len Burker was to join the 
party a frown of displeasure almost betrayed his views of the 
matter. He knew the fellow ; he had learnt through Mr. An- 
drew how he had taken advantage of his position to squander 
Mrs. Branican’s fortune ; he was not ignorant, either, of 
the manner in which the faithless trustee, the fraudulent 
broker, had left San Diego, and he guessed that his life dur- 


AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. 259 

ing these fourteen years in Australia could hardly be above 
suspicion. 

However, he thought it would not be a bad thing that Jane 
should be with Mrs. Branican and he said nothing. But he 
registered an oath, within himself, that he would keep his 
weather eye on that Burker ! 

The day passed without further incident. Len Burker, 
who was not seen again, was making his preparations, chief 
amotig which was the settlement of his account with the 
squatter. This, however, gave rise to no unpleasantness, 
his employer even offering to procure him a horse, so 
as to enable him to follow the caravan as far as Alice 
Spring. 

Dolly and Jane remained together indoors the whole 
afternoon and evening. The former avoided speaking about 
Burker or even alluding to what he had done since his de- 
parture from San Diego, feeling sure that there were things 
Jane would fain not divulge. 

During the evening neither Tom Marix nor Godfrey came 
to the run, both being detailed to procure information from 
the native villages in the neighborhood. 

It was only the next morning that Dolly had the oppor- 
tunity to introduce Godfrey to Jane as her adopted son. 

Jane, too, was struck with the young apprentice’s like- 
ness to Captain John. So deeply impressed was she, 
indeed, that she scarce dared look at him in the face ; but 
who can tell what she experienced when Dolly told her all 
she knew about the lad, how she had met him on board the 
Brisbane , how he was an orphan, picked up in the streets 
of San Diego, how he had been brought up at Wat House, 
how he was about fourteen years of age. 

With haggard eyes, her heart almost pulseless with an- 
guish, she listened, dumb and motionless. 

Chance would have it that Dolly was just then called 
out of the room. The affrighted woman was no sooner 


260 mistress bra ni can. 

left by herself than a cry, a shriek, broke forth from her 
choking breast. 

“ Him ! him ! with her. It is God that willed it! ” 

The next moment she had left the house and was run- 
ning to the hut which served them as a dwelling, to relate 
all to her husband. 

Len was there, packing into a trunk the few articles of 
dress that he was going to take away with him. The 
bewildered appearance of his wife startled him. 

“ What’s up now ? ” he growled. “ Can’t you talk ? 
What’s up, I say ? ” 

“ He is alive ! ” exclaimed Jane. “ He is here with his 
mother ! ” 

“He is with his mother! alive!” repeated Burker, 
thunderstruck at the news. 

He had but too readily understood who this “ he ” could 
refer to. 

And his wife, as if dazed by the sudden shock she had 
received, went on murmuring incoherently : “ He — their 

child — Dolly’s second child ! ” 

An event had taken place at Prospect House, fifteen 
years before, which a few words will explain. 

Shortly after their moving to the chalet, Mrs. Burker 
and her worthy consort had noticed that poor demented 
Dolly was in a condition of which she, obviously, had no 
consciousness. Closely watched by No, and in spite of 
Jane’s entreaties, the invalid was from that day placed 
under lock and key, and visitors were denied admittance 
on the plea of her weak state of mind. Seven months 
later, and while her mental powers were still paralyzed, a 
second child was born to her. 

At this time, when Captain John’s death was admitted 
by all, the birth of this child came very inopportunely to 
upset Burker’s plans with regard to Dolly’s fortune. He 


GOING NORTHWARD . 


261 


had accordingly made up his mind to keep the event secret ; 
and it was with a view to this that, several months before, 
he had so unaccountably dismissed all the servants but N6. 
The child was but a few hours old when the wretched 
negro woman left him in a dark corner on the public street. 
Providentially a passer-by, noticed him and brought him to 
the hospital. Thence he was sent, later on, to Wat House ; 
and out of Wat House, as we know, he had gone to sea at 
the age of eight. 

No need, now, to wonder at Godfrey’s resemblance to 
Captain John, his father, or at that instinctive love felt for 
him by Dolly, his mother unknown to herself. 

“ Yes, Len,” cried Jane once more, “ it is he ! It is her 
child ! we must tell her all ! ” 

But at the mere suggestion of a confession, which would 
have jeopardized all his plans for the future, Len Burker’s 
clenched hand was raised over his wife’s head, and a volley 
of curses escaped from his lips. Then clutching her arm, 
and staring her in the two eyes, he hissed rather than 
said : 

“ In Dolly’s interest, as well as in Godfrey’s, I should 
advise you to keep your tongue very quiet, Jane ! ” 


CHAPTER VII. 

GOING NORTHWARD. 

T HERE was no mistake possible; Godfrey was John 
and Dolly Branican’s second child. It was to maternal 
instinct that Dolly’s affection for him was due. But she 
did not know that the young apprentice was her son ; and 
how would she ever know, since Jane, frightened by Len 
Burker’s threats, was obliged to keep silent for Godfrey’s 


262 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


own sake ? Opening her lips was putting the lad at 
Burker’s mercy, and the villain who had already abandoned 
him once would soon find means of getting rid of him dur- 
ing this perilous journey. The mother and son would con- 
tinue therefore in ignorance of the tie which bound them 
to one another. 

As to Burker, when he saw Godfrey, when he considered 
the incidents relative to his birth and noted his striking 
likeness to John, he felt no doubt as to his identity. So 
then, at the very time when he looked upon John Brani- 
can’s loss as certain, here he was suddenly confronted witfi 
the existence of his second son. Well then ! woe to him 
if Jane ever thought of speaking out ! But Len Burker 
was easy in his mind ; Jane would say nothing. 

On October n, the caravan set out again, after a rest of 
twenty-four hours. Jane had been given a seat in Mrs. 
Branican’s buggy. Len Burker, astride a fairly good 
horse, came and went, sometimes ahead, sometimes in the 
rear, taking pleasure in talking with Tom Marix about the 
territories he had already traveled over, along the tele- 
graph route. Zach Fren’s company was not so genial to 
him, for the sailor showed an unmistakable dislike for him. 
And again he avoided meeting Godfrey, whose eye his own 
did not dare to encounter. Whenever the lad joined in 
conversation with Jane and Dolly, Burker would drop to 
the rear, so as not to be near him. 

As the caravan advanced farther into the interior, the 
country gradually assumed a different aspect. Here and 
there a few farms for the rearing of sheep, immense plains 
stretching out as far as the eye could reach, small groves of 
gum-trees or eucalypti, scattered few and far between and 
bearing no resemblance to the forests of South Australia. 

At six o’clock on the morning of October 12, after a long 
journey that the heat had rendered very tiring, Tom Marix 
ordered a halt on the bank of the Finke River, not far from 


GOING NORTHWARD. 


2 63 


Mount Daniel, the peak of which could be seen to the west. 
Geographers of the present day have agreed to consider 
this River Finke — called Larra-Larra by the natives — as 
the principal stream of central Australia. During the even- 
ing Marix drew Mrs. Branican’s attention on this subject, 
while Zach Fren, Len and Jane Burker, and himself were 
keeping her company under one of the tents. 

“ It was of importance,” said Tom, “ to find out whether 
Finke River flowed into the immense Eyre Lake that we 
passed on the other side of Farina Town. Now, it is pre- 
cisely in settling this question that the explorer David Lind- 
say employed the latter end of the year 1885. After reach- 
ing Peak Station, that we passed by, he followed the river 
until it disappeared under the sand to the northeast of 
Dalhousie. But he had reasons to believe that during the 
great waterfall of the rainy season its waters flow as far as 
Lake Eyre.” 

“And about what length is the Finke River?” asked 
Mrs. Branican. 

“ Not less than nine hundred miles,” answered Marix. 

“ Are we to follow it for long ? ” 

“A few days only, as it forms a number of bends, and at 
last turns up westward toward the James Ranges.” 

“ Why, I was acquainted with that David Lindsay that 
you speak of ! ” interrupted Burker. 

“You knew him?” repeated Zach Fren in an incredu- 
lous tone. 

“ And what is there wonderful about that ? ” answered 
the other. “ I met Lindsay at the time he reached 
Dalhousie Station. He was on his way to the western 
border of Queensland, which I was then visiting on behalf 
of a Brisbane firm.” 

“ True,” added Marix, “that is the itinerary he followed. 
Then having reached Alice Spring and rounded the foot of 
the MacDonnell Ranges, he made a somewhat detailed 


264 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


survey of Herbert River, and then pushed on to the Gulf 
of Carpentaria, where he ended his second campaign across 
the Australian continent.” 

“I may add,” said Len Burker, “ that David Lindsay 
was accompanied by a German botanist named Dietrich ; 
and in their travels they used none but camels as beasts of 
burden. I suppose you intend doing the same when you 
reach Alice Spring, Dolly ; and I feel certain you will 
succeed as David Lindsay did.” 

“ Yes, we will succeed, Len ! ” said Mrs. Branican. 

“ Nobody ever had a doubt about that ! ” added Zach 
Fren. 

After all, it seemed true that Len Burker had met David 
Lindsay in the way he had just explained, a fact that 
Jane confirmed, besides. But, had Dolly inquired the 
name of the Brisbane firm for which he was then traveling, 
this question might have slightly embarrassed him, per- 
haps. 

During the few hours Mrs. Branican and her companions 
spent on the banks of the Finke River, they heard indi- 
rectly of the Englishman Jos Merritt, and Gin-Ghi his 
Chinese servant. Both of them were still a dozen stages 
ahead of the caravan ; but the latter was visibly gaining on 
them and following the same route. 

It was through the natives that information was obtained 
of the famous hat collector. Three days previously Jos 
Merritt and his companion had put up at the village of 
Kilna, a mile from the station. 

Kilna contains several hundred blacks, — men, women 
and children, — who live in shapeless huts made of bark. 
These huts are called “ villums ” in the Australian language, 
and the resemblance of this native word with the vocables 
ville and village , of Latin origin, is not unworthy of notice 
as a philological coincidence. 

Some of these aborigines are remarkable types of hu- 



A Halt on the Bank of the River (/. 262). 
























. 



































■ . 












, 

















GOING NORTHWARD. 265 

manity, of high stature, well proportioned, muscular, and 
active, of an iron temperament. Most of them present that 
depressed facial angle peculiar to savage races ; they are 
beetle-browed, their hair is curly if not wooly, their fore- 
head narrow and retreating, their nose wide and flattened ; 
the formidable teeth of their enormous mouth recall those 
of the beasts of the forests. The large abdomen and thin 
lower extremities are not found in the particular specimens 
we speak of. 

Whence did the natives of this fifth part of the world 
originally come from ? Was there once, as learned men — 
too learned, perhaps — have advanced, a Pacific continent, 
the loftiest peaks of which are all that now remain in the 
shape of the islands scattered over the surface of this wide 
basin ? Are the Australians the descendants of the numerous 
races with which this continent was inhabited at a very 
remote period ? Such theories are probably fated never 
to leave the domain of hypothesis. Should this explana- 
tion be true, on the other hand, we should conclude that 
the race has wonderfully degenerated both physically and 
morally. 

The Australian has remained a wild man in habits and 
tastes ; and with his inveterate cravings for cannibalism, — 
at least among certain tribes, — he is at the lowest step of 
the human ladder, almost on a level with carnivorous ani- 
mals. In a country where there are no lions, tigers, or 
panthers, it may be said that he is their substitute as a man- 
eater. He does not till the ungrateful soil, has no clothing 
but a rag, lacks the most common household utensils, *and 
has none but the most rudimentary weapons — the stone- 
tipped lance, the “ nolla-nolla,” a kind of very hard wooden 
club, and the famous boomerang, the helicoid shape of 
which causes it to travel back to him who has hurled it 
through the air. The Australian black is indeed a savage 
in ever y sense of the word. 


266 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


To such beings nature has given a suitable consort, the 
“lubra,” endowed with such a constitution as enables her 
to withstand the fatigues of nomadic life, undergo the most 
arduous labors, and among others carry on her back the 
young children and the camping material. These wretched 
creatures are old at twenty-five, — not old only but repul- 
sive-looking, — and are forever chewing the leaves of the 
“ pituri,” which stimulates them during their endless tramps 
and sometimes enables them to do without food for a con- 
siderable time. 

Will it be believed ? Such of these women as have com- 
mercial intercourse with the European settlers are begin- 
ning to adopt European fashions ! Yes, they must have 
dresses, and trains to these dresses ! They must have hats, 
and feathers in those hats ! The men themselves are far 
from indifferent in the selection of their own hats, and will 
turn a whole stock topsy-turvy to satisfy their taste. 

No doubt Jos Merritt had heard of Carl Lumholtz’s 
remarkable journey in Australia and his six months’ stay 
among the terrible cannibals of the northeast ; and how 
could he have failed to be impressed by the following pas- 
sage in the bold Norwegian’s account : 

“ Half-way I met the two natives They had beau- 

tified themselves to a degree ; one gloried in a shirt, the 
other in a woman’s hat. Such articles of dress are highly 
prized by the Australian blacks, and go from one tribe to 
another, from the most civilized, who live in close proximity 
with the settlers, to those who never have any dealings with 
the whites. Several of my men (natives) borrowed this 
particular hat, and were proud to wear it one after the 
other. One of them, who walked immediately in front of 
me, in puris naturalibus , toiling and moiling under the 
weight of my gun, was really a ludicrous sight with this 
woman’s hat laid away on his head. What a series of ad- 
ventures the poor old headgear must have gone through in 


, GOING NORTHWARD. 267 

its long journeying from the land of the white man to the 
mountain homes of the savages ! ” 

Jos Merritt knew all that, and perhaps it would be 
with some Australian tribe, on the head of a chief of the 
northern or northwestern territories, that he would come 
across that not-to-be-found hat, which had already brought 
him, at the risk of his life, among the savages of the Aus- 
tralian continent. A remarkable feature of the case was 
that not only he had not found it among the natives of 
Queensland, but he seemed to have been just as unsuccess- 
ful with the population of Kilna, for he had set off again 
and was continuing his adventurous pilgrimage toward 
the central deserts. 

On October 13, Tom Marix gave the order to start at 
daybreak. The caravan took its usual marching order. It 
gave Dolly great satisfaction to have Jane with her, and a 
great consolation to Jane to be near Mrs. Branican. 

The privacy of their buggy enabled them to exchange 
many a confidence in perfect security. Why dared not 
Jane go one step farther and reveal everything she knew ? 
Why were her lips sealed? Now and again, on seeing the 
requitted love of the mother and the son, that betrayed itself 
every moment by a look, a gesture, or a word, between 
Dolly and Godfrey, she thought her secret would burst 
out. But Len Burker’s threats would come back to her 
mind, and for very fear of losing the lad she even affected 
a kind of indifference toward him that his mother by adop- 
tion noticed, not without pain. 

What she must have felt can easily be imagined when, 
one day, Dolly said : 

“ You ought to understand, Jane, how with that resem- 
blance, that had struck me so forcibly, with the instincts 
that I felt within me, I was led to believe that my child 
had escaped death; that neither Mr. Andrew nor anybody 
knew anything about it ; and, from that, to believe that 


268 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Godfrey was our son. But no ! Poor little Wat is now 
lying in the cemetery at San Diego ! ” 

“Yes! it is there we brought him, Dolly dear. His grave 
is over there — among the flowers ! ” 

“ Jane ! Jane ! ” cried Dolly ; “ since God has not given 
me back my child, let him restore his father to me ! let him 
give me back John ! ” 

At six o’clock on the evening of October 15, after leaving 
Mount Humphries in the rear, the caravan reached Palmer 
Creek, one of the tributaries of Finke River. This creek 
was almost dry, its only supply, like that of most rios in 
these parts, being rain water. Crossing it was then an easy 
matter, as it was three days later at Huges Creek, thirty- 
four miles farther north. 

In this direction they continued to have the advantage of 
the Overland telegraph wires — those threads of Ariadne — 
which they had only to follow from station to station. Now 
and again clusters of houses were met with, and less fre- 
quently farms, at which fresh meat could be obtained by 
Marix, though at a high price. Godfrey and Zach Fren, 
meanwhile, looked after information, and the squatters wil- 
lingly told all they knew of the wandering tribes in their 
neighborhood. Had they heard of a white man, a prisoner 
in the hands of the Indas, in the north or west ? Did they 
know whether travelers had recently made their way into 
these remote parts ? Not a word ! No indication could 
they give, however vague, that could put them on Captain 
John’s track. All the greater necessity, therefore, to push 
on toward Alice Spring, still eighty miles distant at least. 

Beyond Huges Creek progress became more laborious, 
and the daily average they had hitherto reached lowered 
considerably. The country was very hilly. A series of 
narrow passes, intersected by ravines, which were barely 
practicable, meandered through the ramifications of the 
Water House Ranges. Ahead of the party, Tom Marix 















I 


















t 




































































































* 





















































Progress became more Laborious (/>. 268). 



GOING NORTHWARD. 


269 


and Godfrey sought to pick out the easiest tracks. The 
pedestrians and horsemen had no trouble to follow them ; 
the buggies, too, were drawn along with comparative ease, 
but the oxen were barely able to drag the heavily laden 
wagons along, in spite of all their toiling. The main point 
was to avoid accidents, such as the breaking of a wheel or 
an axle, which would have necessitated a long delay, or 
even compelled them to abandon the vehicle. 

It was on the morning of October 19 that the caravan 
had entered those territories where the telegraph wires 
could no longer maintain a rectilineal direction ; and Tom 
Marix, obliged thereto by the nature of the ground, had 
altered his course westward.' 

At intervals, thanks to the vicinity of the mountains, the 
country was wooded once more. Not unfrequently the 
road was intercepted with “ brigalow scrubs,” impenetrable 
thickets where acacias predominate. 

On the banks of the streams stood clumps of casuarinas, 
as leafless as if the blast of winter had withered their 
branches. At the entrance of the gorges there grew some 
of those calabash trees, with bulged out trunks, which the 
Australians have named on that account “ bottle-trees.” 
After the fashion of the eucalyptus, the roots of which 
pump up all the water of a well, the calabash tree sucks in 
all the moisture of the soil, and its spongy wood is so 
saturated with it that the starch it contains is fit food for 
cattle. 

These brigalow scrubs harbored a pretty large number of 
marsupials, among others “ wallabies,” such swift racers 
that in most cases when the natives wish to catch them they 
must needs circumvent them in a ring of flames by setting 
fire to the grass. 

In certain places there were swarms of kangaroo-rats, 
and of those giant kangaroos which white men hunt only 
for the sake of sport, for no one but a black — nay, an 


270 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Australian black — would eat their leathery flesh. Once or 
twice Tom Marix and Godfrey succeeded in lodging a 
bullet in two or three couples of them, swift though they be 
like a horse in full gallop ; and all acknowledged that, if 
roast kangaroo be a matter of individual taste, kangaroo- 
tail soup is a dish for a king. 

This particular night was marked by an incident. The 
camp was suddenly invaded by a horde of rats — such rats 
as are only seen in Australia at the time of the year when 
the genus “ rat ” migrates. Sleeping would have exposed 
one to being literally devoured, and accordingly all thought 
of sleep was deferred to the next favorable opportunity. 
Morning came ; the rat-infested spot was left behind, and 
by sunset the last ramifications of the MacDonnell Ranges 
were reached. The next forty miles, to Alice Spring 
station, would be covered under much more favorable 
conditions. 

Far as the eye could reach, nothing but a vast plain, a 
little undulating here, a few groves^ of trees there, barely 
relieving its monotony. The road lay once more in the 
same direction as the telegraph line, and the wagons had 
but little difficulty in rumbling along the track by the side 
of the posts. 

It was almost incredible, by the way, that this unpro- 
tected line over a desert country should not be tampered 
with by the natives. 

“ I have told you already,” Tom Marix would say, when- 
ever this subject was alluded to,“ ever since the punishment 
the engineer gave them, the Indians have an idea that 
thunder runs along the wires, and they would not dream of 
touching them. Some of them have even got it into their 
heads that one end of the wires is fastened to the sun and 
the other to the moon, and that those two big balls would 
fall down on them if ever they lay hands on the poles.” 

As usual, the first stage ended at eleven o’clock. The 


GOING NORTHWARD. 


271 


halt was made near a eucalyptus grove, the foliage of which, 
drooping down like the crystal pendants of a chandelier, 
gave little or no shade. Close by flowed a creek, or rather 
a tiny streak of water, barely sufficient to wet the stones of 
its bed. On the opposite bank, a remarkable slip must have 
taken place many a long year ago, and a steep acclivity 
stood like a wall from east to west for a distance of several 
miles. Away to the rear could still be descried the dis- 
tant profile of the MacDonnell Ranges above the horizon. 

The midday halt usually lasted till two o'clock, thus 
securing rest for the wayfarers during the warmest part of 
the day. In truth it was merely a siesta, not a camping. 
Tom Marix did not even get the oxen unyoked or the 
trappings taken off the horses ; they ate just as they were. 
The tents were not pitched nor were any fires lit. The cold 
meat and preserves sufficed for this second meal, which had 
been preceded by a substantial breakfast at early morning. 

Each one then as usual sat, or lay at full length, on the 
grass. Half an hour later the drivers and the men com- 
posing the escort, white and black, were fast asleep, after 
satisfying their hunger, and would sleep on until the signal 
for starting should be given. 

Mrs. Branican, Jane, and Godfrey formed a separate 
group. The servant Harriet had brought them a basket 
containing some provisions, and while eating they naturally 
spoke of their approaching arrival at Alice Spring. That 
hopefulness that had never left Dolly was entirely shared 
by the young apprentice, and even though there would 
be no hope left, nothing could have shaken their conviction. 
All, indeed, were full of faith in the ultimate success of 
the undertaking, and positively determined not to leave 
Australia so long as Captain John’s fate had not been 
ascertained. 

Needless to say that Len Burker, affecting to be animated 
with the same sentiments, was not sparing of his encourage- 


272 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


ments when the opportunity presented itself. The above 
determination on the part of the rescuers suited his views 
admirably, for it was to his interest that Mrs. Branican 
should not leave Australia since he himself could not return 
to America. Dolly, who suspected nought of these odious 
schemes, was thankful to him for his support. 

During this halt Zach Fren and Tom Marix were planning 
the changes that would have to be made before leaving the 
station at Alice Spring. Was it not then that the real 
difficulties of their journey would begin ? 

It was about half-past one, when a strange dull sound 
was heard away to the north ; a kind of prolonged, tumultu- 
ous commotion, a continued rumbling, which re-echoed from 
afar off to their very ears. 

Mrs. Branican, Jane, and Godfrey had stood up, and 
were listening attentively. 

Tom Marix and Fren bad joined them in an instant and 
strained their ears to discover the cause of the disturbance. 

“Where can that noise come from?” asked Dolly. • 

“ A storm, very likely,” said the sailor. 

“ It seems more like the dashing of waves against the 
beach,” observed Godfrey. 

Still there were no symptoms of a storm, and no sign of 
electricity in the air. As to the noise of water overflooding 
the country, it could only be produced by a sudden rise of 
the creeks. But when Zach Fren put this forward as a 
solution of the mystery, Tom Marix scouted the idea. 

“ An inundation in this part of the continent, at this time 
of year and after such dry weather ? That can’t be, friend ! ” 
he said. 

And he was right. 

After a violent storm, an overflow may be caused by the 
superabundance of rain-water ; and the lowlands in the imme- 
diate neighborhood may be inundated during the bad season. 
But at the end of October this surmise was inadmissible. 




Kangaroo Hunting (/. 270) 



GOING NORTHWARD. 


273 


Tom Marix, Zach Fren, and Godfrey, after hoisting 
themselves to the ledge of the steep bank, near which they 
had halted, cast anxious glances toward the north and 
east. 

Nothing could be seen over the vast tract of gloomy 
desert plains. Above the horizon, however, was a curiously 
shaped cloud, which could not be confounded with the 
hazy nebula that heat accumulates on the peripheric line of 
the earth and the sky. It was not a collection of misty 
vapors, but rather such an agglomeration of well-outlined 
whirls as are produced by discharges of artillery. As to 
the noise proceeding from behind that huge curtain of 
dust, — it could be nothing else but dust, — it was getting 
louder and louder, and now resembled the rhythmical 
cadence of numberless feet ; the mighty gallop of some 
giant flock reverberated by the elastic soil of the immense 
prairie. 

Whence did it come ? 

“ I know what it is ! I have seen this already,” cried 
Marix. “ They are sheep ! ” 

“ Sheep ? ” answered Godfrey, with a laugh. “ If it’s 
only sheep ” 

“ Don’t you laugh, Godfrey ! ” said Tom. “ There may 
be. thousands and thousands of them, no doubt seized with 
some unaccountable panic ; and if it be as I say, they will 
come along like an avalanche and destroy everything in 
their way ! ” 

Tom Marix was not exaggerating. When these animals 
get frightened through some cause or another, — a thing 
which sometimes happens within the runs, — nothing can 
hold them back ; they break down the fences around them 
and rush madly away. There is an old saying that “before 
a flock of sheep the king’s own coach must pull up,” and 
in truth a herd of these stupid things will let themselves be 
crushed to death rather than give way ; but if they allow 


274 


MISTRESS BRAN/CAM. 


themselves to be crushed at times, they in their turn crush 
all before them when they sweej) along in large masses. 

This was precisely the case. 

Judging by this cloud of dust rolling over a distance of 
six or eight miles, there could not be less than a hundred 
thousand of these panic-stricken sheep making straight for 
the halting place of the little caravan. They formed a huge 
line from north to south ; and on they came like a colossal 
bore over the plain ; nor would they stop until they fell, 
exhausted by their wild career. 

“ What is to be done ?” asked Fren. 

“ We must shelter ourselves as well as we can against 
the foot of this rock,” answered the leader. 

There was no other course open, and the three made 
their way down at once. Insufficient as was the shelter 
suggested by Tom Marix, all hastened to avail themselves 
of it. The avalanche of sheep was now but two miles from 
the camp. The monster cloud rose high against the sky, 
and out of it came a very storm of formidable bleatings. 

The wagons were drawn close to the steep rampart that 
nature had providentially prepared for them ; the horses 
and oxen were made to lie down, the better to withstand 
the ordeal if the terrible wave did not pass over them with- 
out touching them. As to the men, they crouched against 
the foot of the rock. Godfrey stationed himself near 
Dolly, the better to protect her ; and they awaited events. 

Marix, however, would climb the rock again, and have 
another look at the sheep-covered plain. The noisy herd 
was still drawing nearer and stretched over one-third of the 
horizon. As Marix had said, there could not be fewer than 
a hundred thousand. In less than two minutes they would 
be close at hand. 

“ Look out ! ” shouted Tom, as he glided down to the 
spot where Mrs. Branican, Jane, Godfrey, and Fren were 
huddled together. 


GOING NORTHWARD. 


275 


Almost at the same moment the front line of the sheep 
appeared on the crest above. They did not stop — they 
could not have done so ; down they leaped, and in an 
instant hundreds were piled up in a helpless heap, which 
broke the 1 fall of those who rushed after them into space. 
To their agonizing cries were now mingled the neighing of 
the horses and the roars of the bulls, almost maddened 
with terror. All round was darkness and confusion, while 
overhead the irresistible wave still rolled on — a veritable 
torrent of living animals. 

This lasted five minutes ; the first to rise to their feet, 
Tom Marix, Godfrey, and Zach Fren saw the bejumbled 
cloud fleeting away toward the south. 

“ Get up ! it’s all over ! ” cried the leader. 

They were but too glad to obey. A few bruises and 
some trifling damage to the wagons was the full extent of 
the harm sustained by the party, thanks to the shelter of 
the rock. 

Marix and his two companions again ascended to its 
summit. 

Yonder to the south the herd was fast disappearing. 
To the north lay the plain, plowed and torn and devastated. 

“ Say ! ” suddenly cried Godfrey. “ Look over there — 
there ! ” 

About fifty paces away, two bodies lay on the ground — 
two natives, no doubt carried along, thrown down, and prob- 
ably trampled over by the sheep. 

Tom Marix and Godfrey ran over to them. 

What was their surprise on seeing Jos Merritt and his 
faithful Gin-Ghi, motionless, and apparently lifeless. 

They were far from dead, however, and thanks to the 
efficient care bestowed upon them they quickly recovered 
from the severe shock ; and no sooner had they opened 
their eyes when both jumped to their feet. 

“ Right ! That’s quite right ! ” observed Jos Merritt. 


27 6 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AH. 


Then turning around he asked : 

“ Where is Gin-Ghi ?” 

“ Gin-Ghi is here, or at least what is left of him ! ” re- 
plied the Chinaman, rubbing his hips. “ Truly, Master 
Jos, that was too many sheep, a thousand times, ten thou- 
sand times too many sheep ! ” 

“ Could never be too many legs of mutton or too many 
chops, Gin-Ghi ; so, then, how could there be too many 
sheep ! ” replied the Englishman. “ It is a pity, though, 
that we were not able to catch a single one of them as they 
passed over us.” 

“ Don’t you fret about that, Mr. Merritt,” suggested 
Zach Fren. “ At the foot of the rock yonder you’ll find a 
few hundreds of them at your service.” 

“ Right ! That’s quite right ! ” gravely concluded the 
phlegmatic personage. 

Then turning to his servant, who having sufficiently 
rubbed his hips was now applying the same treatment to his 
shoulders : 

“ Gin-Ghi ? ” 

“ Sir?” 

“ Two chops for to-night — and under-done, mind ! ” 

Jos Merritt and his companion then related what had 
happened them. They were traveling along about three miles 
ahead of the caravan when they were charged by this army 
of sheep. Their horses had run away and they were unable 
to stop them. Thrown off and trodden on, it was a miracle 
that they were not crushed to death, and a wonderful piece 
of luck that Mrs. Branican and her friends had arrived just 
in time to save them. 

And now, after escaping from this serious danger, the 
whole party set off again, and about six o’clock in the even- 
ing they reached the station at Alice Spring. 


BEYOND ALICE SPRING STATION. 


277 


CHAPTER VIII. 

BEYOND ALICE SPRING STATION. 

T HE next day, October 24, Mrs. Branican began the 
work of reorganizing her expedition in view of a 
campaign likely to be of long duration, tiring, and peril- 
ous, seeing that it would cover almost unknown parts of 
central Australia. 

Alice Spring is one of the Overland Telegraph stations — 
a mere cluster of some twenty houses, scarcely deserving 
the name of “village.” 

Mrs. Branican’s first care was to see the chief officer at 
this station, Mr. Flint. Perhaps he knew something of the 
Indas. Did this West Australian tribe, with whom Cap- 
tain John was a prisoner, never come down as far as the 
central districts ? 

Mr. Flint could give no definite answer on this subject, 
except that the Indas now and again did roam to the west 
of Alexandra Land. He had never heard a word of John 
Branican. As to Harry Felton, all he knew was that he 
had been picked up eighty miles east of the telegraph wire, 
on the Queensland boundary line. According to -him, the 
best thing to be done was to follow out the indications given 
by the unfortunate man before he died, namely to keep on 
obliquely toward the districts of Western Australia. He 
wished the undertaking every success, and hoped that Mrs. 
Branican would triumph where he, Flint, had failed, six 
years previously, when he had gone in search of Lerch- 
hardt — a search which the wars of the natives among them- 
selves had compelled him to give up. He placed himself 
at Mrs. Branican’s disposal to furnish her with all the 
resources Alice Spring could. command. He added he had 
done the same for David Lindsay when the latter called 


278 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


here in 1886, before pushing toward Lake Nash and the 
MacDonnell Range Group. 

What this part of Australia was at the time when our 
party was about starting on its way northwest may be thus 
described. 

Two hundred and sixty miles from Alice Spring, on the 
127th meridian, lies the boundary line from south to north, 
which separates South Australia, Alexandra Land, and North 
Australia from that province designated Western Australia, 
the capital of which’we have already stated to be Perth. 
It is the largest, least known, and least populous of the 
seven great divisions of the continent. In reality, it is 
geographically determined only by the perimeter of its 
coasts, which include the territories of Nuyts, Lieuwin, 
Wlaming, Endrack, Witt, and Tasman. 

Modern atlases show three distinct deserts inland of this 
region, the solitudes of which are only visited by wandering 
natives. 

First. In the south the desert lying between the 30th and 
28th degrees of latitude, explored by Forrest in 1869 from 
the coast to the 123d meridian, and entirely crossed by 
Giles in 1875. 

Second. The Gibson Desert, lying between the 28th and 
29th degree, which was also explored by Giles in the year 
1876. 

Third. The Great Sandy Desert, between the 23d degree 
and the north coast, which Colonel Warburton managed to 
cross from east to northwest in 1873, at the cost of the 
dangers that we know. 

Now this was the very territory on which Mrs. Branican 
was about to commence operations. According to the in- 
formation gleaned from Harry Felton, the itinerary chosen 
by Colonel Warburton was the best course to follow. That 
intrepid explorer had taken ho less than four months to 
journey from Alice Spring to the Indian Ocean, say a total 


BEYOND ALICE SPRING STATION. 279 

of fifteen months from September, 1872, to January, 1874, 
for the whole of his campaign. How long would it take 
Mrs. Branican and her companions ? 

Dolly urged Zach Fren and Marix not to lose a single 
day, and with Mr. Flint’s efficient help they did their utmost 
to comply with her request. 

At an enormous expense thirty camels and their Afghan 
drivers had been brought together at the station for the 
past fortnight for Mrs. Branican’s use. 

It is but some thirty years ago, as we have already re- 
marked, that Mr*. Elder imported a certain number of these 
camels from India. These sober and hardy animals, far 
more useful than ornamental, are able to carry a load of 
300 pounds and to cover forty kilometers in twenty-four 
hours, “ at their own gait ” as the saying is. Moreover, they 
can get on without food for a week at a time, and without 
drink for six days in winter and three days in summer. 
Well calculated are they, therefore, to render on this barren 
continent the same services as under the broiling sun of 
Africa. The hardships they undergo almost with impunity 
are practically the same in both. Are not the Sahara and 
the Great Sandy Desert crossed by corresponding meridians 
on their respective hemispheres ? 

Mrs. Branican selected twenty of her thirty camels for 
riding purposes, and ten to carry the baggage. The males 
were more numerous than the fenaales ; most of them were 
young but strong and healthy. Even as Tom Marix was 
the head of the human flock, these brutes had a leader of 
their own, a male camel, the oldest of the herd, which the 
others readily obeyed. It was he led them when on the 
march, and kept them together during the halts. In the 
event of his death the whole band might scatter, and the 
drivers would be unable to keep them in order. It was 
therefore quite natural that*this precious animal should be 
assigned to Tom Marix, and these tvto leaders — one carry- 


MISTRESS BRANICAtf. 


280 

ing the other — went as might be expected, ahead of the 
caravan. 

Of course the horses and oxen that had brought the 
party from Farina Town to Alice Spring were to be left in 
Mr. Flint’s charge. On the return journey they would be 
found there along with the wagons and buggies, as, in all 
probability, the travelers would return to Adelaide by the 
route they had followed on coming. 

Dolly and Jane were to occupy one “ kibitka ” together, a 
kind of tent almost identical with those used by the Arabs, 
and carried by one of the strongest cam*els in the troop. 
In this way they could protect themselves from the heat of 
the sun behind thick curtains, and would even be sheltered 
from the rain which falls in torrents when it does fall — 
rarely, it is true — on the central plains of this continent. 

Harriet, Mrs. Branican’s servant, accustomed to the long 
journeys of the nomads, preferred to follow on foot. In 
her eyes those tall cattle with the two humps seemed 
rather intended to carry baggage than human beings. 

Three saddle-camels had been set apart respectively for 
Lem Burker, Godfrey and Zach Fren, who would soon get 
accustomed to their hard and jolting shuffle, nor would 
there be any reason to hasten their usual gait, since a certain 
number of the men would be on foot. A trot would not 
be expected of them except when it would be necessary to 
go ahead of the main cqrps in search of a well or a spring 
while crossing the Great Sandy Desert. 

The remaining fifteen camels were for the white men of 
the escort. The blacks in charge of the bat-camels were 
to travel the twelve or fourteen miles constituting the two 
daily stages on foot, a tramp which they would not con- 
sider excessive. 

Such was the reorganization of the caravan in view of 
the hardships of this second part of the journey. Every- 
thing had been combined, with Mrs. Branican’s approba- 



'mBmt 

§ ^ 


Wm 



qfc_ - ^ ^r*sP 8 f!W-- - 

»’ 

llV^ Yf/Z 1 Irl^iMiflf fl ^ 







XWv I, M/W !, \l I 

'/u Him ,7/W/xlli ,J// !W lf », vk 


V ' v, ' 




SUdb . \ \ \JBrv «J '''yg 

ImT+rJfl ' lli' Mvlh 

Jmi rl t V Tj /nllillfmi- : ><T^yv*v 


Sfj'Bj 




• Mfift W ' ^ 5«g» 

WM$ 


B*olur 'i I rl !i ffy ^ 






/ ,‘7 'jJ<4 jph, 











K ' V 


1 i.- v* ' L " 





1 ,-g^ 'W// 




*»&''#* 7 v //* nQRMjjyTH 

fw< , . V , y ml 4a5H 



fl 

K\ . 












K?Wrv !j 


tfc V?r TSjcf^Sfcr 




r i»</,. " : 


“ Look out ! ” 


shouted Tom (/. 274). 




I 


BEYOND ALICE SPRING STATION. 


281 


tion, so as to meet the requirements of a journey, however 
long it might be, without overtaxing either the animals or 
the men. Being better supplied with means of transport 
provisions, and camping material, and being altogether in 
more favorable conditions than any of the Australian ex- 
plorers had been hitherto, there was every reason to hope 
that the expedition would attain its aim. 

And what of Jos Merritt, it may be asked ? Was this 
gentleman going to remain at Alice Spring with his faithful 
Achates, Gift -Ghi ? If he left it, would it be to continue 
his course northward along the-telegraph posts ? Would he 
not be more likely to move east or west in search of native 
tribes ? For, there it was, of course, that the amateur would 
have the greater chance of lighting upon the wonderful 
headgear that he had been seeking so long. But now that 
he had no means of conveyance, no baggage, no provisions, 
either, how could he proceed any farther ? 

Several times since they had met, Zach Fren had spoken 
to Gin*Ghi on the subject, but the Celestial had replied that 
he never knew his master’s next move, for the very good 
reason that his master never knew it himself. The one 
thing certain, however, was that Jos Merritt would never 
consent to go back so long as his monomania had not 
been satisfied ; and, that being so, he, Gin-Ghi, a native of 
Hong-Kong, could not guess when he would again see the 
land “ where the dainty little Chinese girls, all in silk arrayed, 
pluck with their tender fingers the blossom of the water-lily.” 

Still the eve of the departure arrived and Jos Merritt 
had as yet said nothing of his future plans, when Gin-Ghi 
came to Mrs. Branican with that gentleman’s compliments, 
to request the favor of a private interview. 

Dolly, desirous of being useful, if she could, to this pecu- 
liar personage, replied that if Jos Merritt would call at Mr. 
Flint’s house, where she was staying, she would be happy 
to receive him. 


/ 


282 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Jos Merritt availed himself of the offer almost immedi- 
ately — it was during the afternoon of October 25 — and no 
sooner was he seated, than he began in the following terms : 

“ Mrs. Branican — I have no doubt— I have not the . least 
doubt but you will find Captain Branican. And I wish I 
were as sure of finding that hat, on the discovery of which 
all the efforts of a somewhat checkered existence have been 
spent. You are, of course, aware of the motive for which I 
hate come to ransack the utmost recesses of Australia ? ” 

“I am, Mr. Merritt,” answered Dolly, “and* for my part 
I have no doubt but that some day you will be rewarded for 
so much perseverance.” 

“ Perseverance ! Right ! That’s right ! The fact is, 
you see, madam, this hat is unique in the world ! ” 

“ And it is wanting to your collection ? ” 

“ I regret to say it is ; indeed, I regret it to such an extent 
that I would willingly give my head, if I only could put that 
hat on it ! ” 

“ Is it a man’s hat ? ” inquired Dolly, hardly knowing 
how to express in words some show of interest in the harm- 
less hobbies of this eccentric man. 

“ No, madam, no — a woman’s hat ; but what woman ! 
You must excuse me if I keep her name and title secret for 

fear of Just think, madam, if anyone else heard ” 

“ You are doubtless acting on some information ? ” 

“ Well, yes — that is From what I have been able to 

gather after an incredible amount of correspondence, num- 
berless inquiries, and world-wide peregrinations, I believe 
that this hat has emigrated to Australia after many vicissi- 
tudes, and that from the very high, yes, a very high station it 
once occupied in society, it has come down to the head of 
the chief of some native tribe.” 

“ But this tribe ” 

“ It is one of those who wander through the north and 
west of this continent ! As to that I will visit them all if 


BEYOND ALICE SPRING STATION. 


283 


needs be. I will search every one of them ; and as the order 
in which I take them is a matter of no consideration, I am 
here to beg leave to join your caravan in search of the 
Indas.” 

“You are welcome to do so, Mr. Merritt,” answered 
Dolly ; “ and I will give orders at once to get two extra 
camels.” 

“ One, madam, will be enough for my servant and myself ; 
the more so as I propose to ride the animal, while Gin-Ghi 
will come along on foot.” 

“You are aware that we start to-morrow, Mr. Merritt?” 

“To-morrow? Right! That’s quite right! I am not 
the man to delay you, Mrs. Branican. But it is quite under- 
stood, is it not, that I have nothing to do with the finding 
of Captain John. That is your concern. As for me — 
my hat ” 

“Yes, your hat exclusively, Mr. Merritt ; that is under- 
stood ! ” answered Dolly. 

Thereupon Jos Merritt retired, declaring that this intel- 
figent, energetic, and generous woman deserved to find her 
husband, quite as much at least as he himself deserved to 
find the jewel, the crowning chef-d'omvre of his collection 
of crowns. 

Gin-Ghi, being advised that he should be ready to start 
the next morning, began setting in 'order the few things 
that had survived the sheep disaster. As to the animal 
which master and servant were to share, — in the above men- 
tioned manner, — Mr. Flint was able to get it, and received 
for his thanks an icy, “ Right ! That’s quite right ! ” 

The next day, 26th of October, Mrs. Branican took leave 
of the goodhearted station-master; and the caravan set 
out again. Godfrey rode by the side of Marix ; after them 
came the mounted escort. In the kibitka were Dolly and 
Jane, with Len Burker riding on one side and Zach Fren 
on the other ; then followed Jos Merritt, majestically seated 


284 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


between the two humps of his mount ; and, behind, Gin-Ghi 
hobbled along. The remainder of the escort, leading the 
pack camels, brought up the rear. 

At six o’clock the party, leaving the telegraph line and 
Alice Spring station to the west, disappeared behind one 
of the offshoots of the MacDonnell Ranges. 

During the month of October the heat is already exces- 
sive in Australia. For that reason Marix had determined 
that they should travel only during the early hours of the 
day, from four to nine o’clock ; and in the evening from 
four to eight. Even at night the air was stifling, and long 
halts became necessary to accustom the party to the fatigues 
in store for them. 

As yet they had not reached the desert, with its boundless 
arid plains, its dried-up creeks, its wells which no longer 
contain but a little briny water when the heat has not 
evaporated it to the last drop. At the foot of the moun- 
tains stretched that uneven region through which are inter- 
mingled the ramifications of MacDonnell and Strange way 
Ranges. The northern direction followed by the telegraph 
wires across these hills had to be abandoned by our travelers 
for a more westerly one. It was about the same route that 
Giles had adopted in 1872, and which intersected Sturt’s 
itinerary twenty-five miles north of Alice Spring. 

The camels ambled on but slowly. Here and there, on 
this undulating surface, small creeks were to be found, and 
the little streaks of running water among the trees were as 
welcome to the men as to the cattle, whose supply for several 
days did not fail to be renewed. 

Along these oases (alas, too scarce) the sportsmen of the 
party detailed to supply the larder succeeded in bringing 
down not a few heads of game — rabbits among others. 

Everybody knows that the rabbit is to Australia what 
the grasshopper is to Africa. These over-prolific rodents 
will ultimately destroy everything if they be not checked. 


BEYOND ALICE SPRING STATION. 285 


Hitherto our friends had rather disdained them as an article 
of food, real game being abundant in the forests of South 
Australia. It would always be time enough to fall back on 
this somewhat insipid eating when there would be a lack of 
hares, partridges, bustards, ducks, pigeons, and other like 
dainties. But here, by the side of the MacDonnell Ranges, 
people had to be content with what they found, namely, 
with the rabbits swarming at every turn. 

One evening, October 31, while Godfrey, Jos Merritt, 
and Zach Fren were chatting together, the conversation 
turned on this unfortunate creature, whose wholesale exter- 
mination is so devoutly wished for. And Godfrey, having 
asked if there had always been rabbits in Australia : 

“ No, my lad,” answered Tom Marix. “ Their importa- 
tion only dates back about thirty years. And a nice present 
we got on that occasion, I tell you ! Those things have 
multiplied at such a rate that they are now ruining our 
lands. Certain parts are so overrun with them that no 
cattle can be reared there. The fields are riddled with rabbit 
holes just like so many sieves, and the grass is gnawed 
down to the root. It is a downright calamity ; and I am be- 
ginning to think that it is not the squatters who will feed 
on the rabbits by and by, but the rabbits who will eat us up.” 

“ I guess they tried strong means to get rid of them? ” 
inquired Zach. 

“ Useless means, apparently, for the pest increases instead 
of diminishing. I know a farmer who has had to spend 
forty thousand pounds to clear his run of them. The gov- 
ernment offers a premium of so much a head for them as 
they do in India for tigers and serpents. Bah ! it’s like 
that monster we read of in the old times; as fast as you 
cut off their heads, they grow on again ; faster, even. 
Strychnine was tried once ; that killed them by the hun- 
dred thousand, but it nearly poisoned the country as well, 
Nothing has succeeded,” 


286 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


“Did I not hear,” asked Godfrey, “that a learned 
Frenchman, a Mr. Pasteur, had offered to do away with 
them by giving them some sort of cholera ? ” 

“ Yes, and perhaps that might have proved successful. 
But the first thing to do would have been to try it, and 
they would not let him, although a reward of twenty thou- 
sand pounds had been offered for the least suggestion. 
And now Queensland and New South Wales have con- 
structed a railing eight hundred miles long, so as to protect 
the eastern part of the continent against being invaded by 
them. It is a veritable calamity ! ” 

“ Right ! Quite right ! A veritable calamity,” inter- 
jected Jos Merritt, “ just like the yellow race! In time, 
the yellow race will invade the five portions of the earth. 
The Chinese are the rabbits of the future.” 

Luckily Gin-Ghi was not there, or he would not have al- 
lowed this offensive comparison with regard to his country- 
men to pass by without a protest ; or, at least, without a 
shrug of his shoulders accompanied by that long noisy in- 
halation which, with the people- of his race, does duty for a 
laugh. 

“ So then,” continued Zach, “ the Australians will give 
up the fight ? ” 

“ What can we do ? ” retorted Marix. 

“ It seems to me, however,” said the Englishman, “ that 
there would be one way of getting out of this difficulty.” 

“ What is it ? ” asked Godfrey. 

“ Simply the passing of a bill by the British Parliament 
to this effect : ‘ Fro?n the date hereof it shall be unlawful to 
wear any other but the beaver hat throughout the United 
Kingdom and the Colonies dependejit therefrom .’ Now, as 
beaver hats are never manufactured but with rabbit-skins — 
you see the consequence ! ” 

Whether his hearers did see and appreciate the point or 
not, the best thing they could do, while waiting for said 


BEYOND ALICE SPRING STATION. 


287 


parliamentary bill to be passed, was to make use of the 
rabbits they killed on the way. It would be so many invad- 
ers the less for Australia ; and in truth no mercy was 
shown them. 

As to the other animals, they were of no use as food, 
although a naturalist would have been interested in some at 
least of the mammifers they came across.- One was the 
echiana, a monotrematous species, with a beak-like snout 
and horny lips, bristly like the hedgehog, which feeds 
chiefly on the insects it catches with its filiform tongue by 
stretching it on the ground outside its hole. The other 
was the ornithorhynchus, a duck-billed, low-bodied animal, 
about a foot in length, and covered with brown fur. The 
mammals of this family have this peculiarity, that they are 
ovoviviparous ; they lay eggs, but they give suck to the 
young that come out of those eggs. 

One day Godfrey, one of the best shots of the band, was 
fortunate enough to see a “ iarri,” but only succeeded in 
wounding him, and the next moment the animal had disap- 
peared forever in the thicket. He consoled himself, how- 
ever, on his ill-luck when Marix informed him that the 
“ iarri ” is not fit to be eaten, and has no other value, in the 
sportsman’s eyes, but the difficulty of its being caught. 

It would have been different with the “ bungari,’* a tall 
fellow of essentially nocturnal habits, with a dark brown 
coat and a long tail, which winds in and out between the 
branches of trees like a marsupial, claws his way along the 
bark like a cat, and hides himself so cleverly that it is very 
hard to distinguish him. 

His flesh, when roasted on coals, is greatly superior to 
that of the kangaroo, so Marix said. Unfortunately they 
were unable to have a taste of it ; and, by and by, not 
bungaris alone would become scarce, as they got nearer to 
the desert ; indeed, it was evident that the caravan would 
soon be thrown exclusively on its own stock of provisions, 


288 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 


Meanwhile, in spite of the roughness of the road, Tom 
Marix continued to keep up the average of twelve to four- 
teen miles in the twenty-four hours — a speed on which their 
rate of progress had been calculated. Although the heat 
was already intense — thirty to thirty-five degrees C. in the 
shade — the travelers bore it without much discomfort. 
During the day, it is true, small clumps of trees were still 
found, beneath which they could enjoy their siesta in rela- 
tive comfort. And again water, though scarce, was not 
altogether wanting yet ; and lastly stops, regularly made 
from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon, seemed 
to sufficiently rest both men and beasts from their fatigues. 

The country was uninhabited. The last of the runs had 
been left behind. No more paddocks or inclosures, no 
more sheep — they would have starved on the short dried- 
up grass of these parts. Scarcely did they ever meet a few 
natives making their way to the stations along the telegraph 
line. 

On October 7, in the afternoon, Godfrey, who had been 
half a mile ahead of the caravan, signaled the apparition of 
a horseman. This equestrian was following a narrow path 
through the blocks of quartz and metamorphic rocks heaped 
together at the foot of the MacDonnell Range. No sooner 
had he perceived the caravan than he galloped his horse 
toward it at full speed. 

The travelers had just halted under two or three mori- 
bund eucalypti which hardly gave them any shade, although 
their roots had sucked up almost all the water of a little 
creek that once flowed hard by. 

Godfrey presented the stranger to Mrs. Branican, and 
first of all she had him treated to a large glass of whisky, a 
windfall for. which he showed himself very thankful. 

He was a white Australian, about thirty-five years of age, 
evidently an expert horseman, .proof against the rain 
through constant exposure, and equally inured to the heat 





He galloped toward them (/>. 288). 





BEYOND ALICE SPRING STATION. 289 

of the sun, whose rays could no longer affect his tawny 
skin. He was a letter carrier, and plied his trade zealously, 
good-humoredly ; scouring the country far and wrde ? 
delivering letters and spreading news about from one sta- 
tion to another, as well as to the villages east and west of 
the telegraph line. He was then returning from Emu 
Spring, a post on the northern slope of the Bluff Ranges, 
and had crossed the whole district which stretches up to 
the MacDonnell group. 

There was something in the letter carrier which recalled 
the jolly devil-may-care postilions of the olden times. 
What was a little twitch of hunger or thirst to him ? Cer- 
tain of being heartily welcomed wherever he went, even 
though he had no letters to deliver ; determined, full of 
courage and strength, a revolver in his belt, his rifle slung 
over his shoulder and a good horse under him, he would 
travel day and night without fear of unpleasant encounters. 

Mrs. Branican took pleasure in making him talk ; in ask- 
ing him questions about the different tribes he had had 
dealings with. 

The good fellow answered them all in a simple and 
obliging manner. Of course, like everyone else, he had 
heard of the Franklin disaster ; but he was unaware that 
an expedition fitted out by John Branican’s wife had left 
Adelaide to explore the regions of central Australia. She 
herself then told him that, according to Harry Felton’s in- 
formation, it was with the Indas tribe that Captain John 
had been a prisoner, these nine long years. 

“ And in your travels,” she asked, “ did you never come 
across any natives of this tribe ? ” 

“ No, madam, I never did ; although they have some- 
times come very close to Alexandra Land ; but of course 
I have heard about them.” 

“Perhaps you could tell us where they are just now?” 
asked Zach Fren. 


290 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ With those rovers it would be a hard thing to say. 
One season they are here, the next they are away some- 
where else. 

“ Well, then, where were they last ? ” queried Mrs. 
Bi;anican. 

“ Six months ago, lady, I believe they were away to the 
northwest, by the Fitz Roy River. The Tasmanian tribes 
are always hanging about those parts. Zounds, the thought 
of it ! Of course, you know, ma’am, that before you get 
there you have to cross the whole of the central and the 
western deserts ; and it’s not for me to tell you what you’re 
going to expose yourself to ! After all, a good heart and 
plenty of pluck take you a mighty long way ! So, I wish 
you a lot of it, ma’am, and good luck to you and yours ! ” 

Another glass of whisky was offered to the brave post- 
rider as well as a few tins of preserves, which he stowed 
away in his bag, whereupon he leaped on his horse and 
soon disappeared behind a bend of the mountains. 

Two days later Mount Liebig, the farthest peak of this 
chain, had been left behind, and the desert was reached, 
130 miles northeast of Alice Spring. 


CHAPTER IX. 

MRS. BRANICAN’S DIARY. 

T^HE word “ desert” immediately brings to mind the 
1 Sahara, with its immense sandy plains, sprinkled over 
with its cool and green-leaved oases. The central regions 
of the continent of Australia, however, have nothing in 
common with the northern parts of Africa unless it be 
the scarcity of water. “ The water seeks the shade” say 
the natives ; and the traveler has to journey from wells to 
to wells, which are ifi most cases considerable distances 



























• • 


I . I 




• • 


i 




























































The good Fellow answered in a simple and obliging 

Manner { p . 289). 


MRS. BRANICAN'S DIARY. 


291 


apart from each other. Still, although the Australian soil, 
whether flat or hilly, is for the most part simple sand, it is 
not absolutely arid. Blossom-covered shrubs, now and 
again a few trees, gum-trees, acacias or eucalypti, all this is 
less distressing than the nudity of the Sahara. But these 
trees and bushes bear neither fruit nor leaves that can be 
used as food, and the caravans are obliged to carry pro- 
visions with them ; as to animal life, it is only represented 
in this wilderness by the rare passage of a few birds. 

Mrs. Branican kept a diary of her voyage with great 
regularity and accuracy. A few notes from this journal 
will reveal, more precisely than would a simple narrative, 
the incidents of this laborious plodding onward. They 
will show better also the fervor of Dolly’s soul, her firm- 
ness amidst so many trials, the dogged obstinacy of her 
clinging to hope even when the day came when most of 
her companions gave way to despair by her side. Herein 
will be seen, in fine, what a woman is capable of when she 
devotes herself to the fulfillment of a duty. 

October 10. — We left our camp near Mount Liebig at 
four o’clock this morning. Those were precious directions 
that we obtained from the letter-carrier. They agree with 
those given us by poor Felton. Yes, it is toward the north- 
west, and more especially along the Fitz Roy River, that 
we must look for the Indas. Nearly 800 miles more to 
travel ! We will do it though ! I will get there, were I to 
go alone, even though I fell into the hands of that tribe. 
Then, at least, I would be with John ! 

We are going in a northwesterly direction, almost follow- 
ing Colonel Warburton’s route. Our itinerary will be 
much the same as his was, as far as the Fitz Roy River. 
May we not undergo the same trials as he did, or leave any 
of our number behind us, dead through fatigue ! Unfor- 
tunately, our circumstances are less favorable than his 


29 2 • MISTRESS BRANICAtt. 

were. It was in April that Colonel Warburton left Alice 
Spring — a month which corresponds to October in North 
America, therefore toward the end of the hot season. We, 
on the contrary, did not leave Alice Spring until the end of 
October, and we are now in November, that is to say at the 
beginning of the Australian summer. Accordingly the 
heat is very great, nearly thirty-five degrees Centigrade in 
the shade, when there is any shade ; and we can expect 
none save from a cloud crossing the sun, or from an oc- 
casional cluster of trees. 

The division of the day planned by Tom Marix is very 
practical. The length and hours of the stages are equally 
well proportioned. The first is from four to eight o’clock 
in the morning, then a halt till four in the afternoon. The 
second is from four to eight in the evening, then rest for 
the remainder of the night. In this way we avoid travel- 
ing under the burning noonday sun. But what a loss of 
time, what delays ! Admitting that we meet with no acci- 
dent, we will scarcely reach the banks of the Fitz Roy in 
three months at this rate ! 

I am delighted with Tom Marix. Zach Fren and he are 
two men bn whom I can rely under any circumstances. 

Godfrey frightens me with his passionate nature. He is 
always ahead of us and often completely out of sight 
With great difficulty do I manage to keep him near me * 
and yet that child loves me as though he were my son. 
Tom Marix has spoken to him about his rashness. I hope 
he will take notice of it. 

Len Burker is always in the rear, and seems to seek the 
company of the blacks more than that of our white men. 
He has been, this long time, acquainted with their tastes, 
instincts, and customs. When we meet any natives he is 
very useful, as he speaks their language sufficiently well to 
understand what they say and to make himself understood. 
Poor Jane, I trust her husband may have changed for the 


MRS. BRA AMC AN'S DIARY. ^93 

better, yet I have fears ! His eye is still the same — an eye 
that shrinks from another’s gaze. 

October 13. — Nothing new these three days. What re- 
lief and what consolation I feel at having Jane with me ! 
How we chat in the kibitka that we share together ! I 
have convinced her at last ; she no longer doubts but I 
shall find John. On the other hand, the poor woman is 
always sad. I do not press her with questions about her 
past life, since the day Burker compelled her to follow him 
to Australia. Well do I understand that she dare not tell 
all. It seems to me sometimes that she is on the point of 
saying something. It looks as though Len watches her. 
Whenever she sees him or he comes near her, her attitude 
changes, her features alter. She is afraid of him. This 
man is evidently her master, and at a beck from him she 
would follow him to the other end of the world. 

Jane appears to have a great liking for Godfrey ; and 
yet, when the dear lad comes near our kibitka to join in 
our conversation, she seems afraid to speak to him or even 
to answer him. She turns her eyes away and hangs down 
her head. One would think his presence pained her. 

This morning we are crossing a long marshy plain. Now 
and again we come across puddles of brackish, almost salt 
water. Tom Marix says that these swamps are the remains 
of former lakes which used to be joined to Lake Eyre and 
Lake Torrens, thus forming a sea which cut the continent 
in two. Luckily we were able to take in a supply of water 
at our last halting-place, and the cattle enjoyed a good 
drink. 

It seems there are several of these lakes, not only in the 
low-lying districts, but in the more elevated parts also. 

The ground is damp ; the pressure of our camels’ feet 
crushes the briny crust which covers the puddles and trans- 
forms the soil into a kind of sticky mud. Sometimes the 


294 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


crust resists a little longer, and when it then gives way 
suddenly, a splash of mire is the result. 

We have had great difficulty in crossing these swamps, 
which spread northwest for a distance of about ten miles. 

We have already met with serpents since we left Ade- 
laide. They are rather numerous in Australia, more espe- 
cially in these marshy districts, among the bushes and 
shrubbery. A man of our escort was even bitten by one 
of these venomous reptiles, at least three feet long, of a 
brownish color, and known to scientific men, I was told, 
as Trimesurus ikaheca. Marix immediately cauterized the 
wound with a pinch of gunpowder, which he placed on the 
man’s arm and afterward set fire to. The sufferer — a white 
man — did not even utter a cry. I held his arm during the 
operation. He thanked me for doing so. I gave him an 
extra ration of whisky. There is every reason to believe 
the bite will not prove fatal. 

We must be careful as to where we step when walking ; 
and being on the back of a camel does not put you com- 
pletely out of reach of the serpents either. I am always 
afraid on Godfrey’s account, and I tremble whenever I hear 
the blacks cry, “ vin’dohe ! ” a word meaning “serpent ” in 
their language. 

Last night, as the tents were being pitched for the night, 
two of the natives killed another large reptile. Tom Marix' 
says that, although two-thirds of the Australian snakes are 
venomous, there are only five species the bite of which is 
dangerous to man. The serpent just killed is twelve feet 
long. It is a kind of boa. Our Australian friends asked 
for it for their evening meal. It was of course given them. 
This is how they prepared it : 

A hole was dug in the sand, into which one of the men 
placed some stones previously heated in the middle of a 
large fire, and over which were spread some odoriferous 
leaves. The serpent, whose head and tail had been cut off, 





“When the dear Lad comes near our Kibitka ” ( p . 293). 





MRS. BRANICAN'S DIARY. 


2 95 


was then laid in the hole and covered over with more leaves 
and more hot stones ; and over the whole a layer of well- 
kneaded clay was now plastered, thick enough to prevent 
the steam from escaping. 

We witnessed this culinary operation not without a little 
feeling of loathing ; but when the serpent had been suffi- 
ciently cooked and was taken out of this improvised ovtfn, 
I must say its flesh gave out a delicious aroma. Neither 
Jane nor I would taste it ; and yet Marix assured us that 
although the white flesh of these snakes is rather insipid 
their liver is considered a very savory tid-bit. 

“ It will stand comparison,” said he, “ with the finest of 
game, or even the wood-hen.” 

'“The wood-hen! Oh, glorious, the wood-hen!” ex- 
claimed Jos Merritt. 

And after being offered a small piece of the liver, he 
asked for a larger help, and could have eaten it all, event- 
ually, I believe. Strangely free-and-easy, those Britons ! 

As to Gin-Ghi, he did not wait to be asked twice, and a 
good thick slice of steaming serpent, which he smacked 
with the air of a connoisseur, soon put him in good humor. 

“ Ai ya ! ” he cried, with a long sigh of regret, “ with a 
few Ning-Po oysters, and a bottle of wine from Tao-Ching 
one might believe one’s self at Tie-Coung-Yuan ! ” 

And Gin-Ghi was good enough to explain to me that this 
was the great tea resort of Pekin. 

Godfrey and Zach, overcoming their first reluctance, 
pressed each other to a few morsels of the snake. It was 
quite palatable, they affirmed. I would rather take their 
word for it than try for myself. 

The famous dish was of course devoured to the last rem- 
nant by our native followers. Not even the few drops of 
fat that had oozed from the reptile while it was cooking, 
did they leave at the bottom of the oven. 

During the night our sleep was disturbed by howls that 


2g6 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AM. 


were heard at some distance. They came from a number 
of “ dingos.” The dingo might be called the jackal of 
Australia, as it is half dog and half wolf. It has a yellow- 
ish or reddish-brown coat and a long bushy tail. Happily 
these animals contented themselves with howling, and did 
not come nearer to the encampment. In large numbers 
they might have proved dangerous. 

November 19. — The heat is becoming more and more op- 
pressive, and the creeks that we still find are almost entirely 
dried up. We now have to dig in the beds of these creeks 
to get a little water. Before long our only resource will be 
the wells ; for the streams will have quite disappeared. 

I am now compelled to admit that there is a truly unex- 
plainable, one might say instinctive antipathy, between Len 
Burker and Godfrey. They never speak to each other, and 
they plainly avoid each other as much as possible. 

I spoke to Godfrey about it one day. 

“ You don’t seem to like Len Burker,” I said. 

“ No, madam,” he answered, “and please don’t ask me to 
do so.” 

“ But he is related to my family,” I began ; “ he is a re- 
lation of mine, Godfrey, and since you like me ” 

“ I love you, madam, but like him 1 never will ! ” 

Dear Godfrey, what presentiment, what secret motive is 
this, that makes him speak thus ? 

November 2 7. — To-day there lies before us an immense 
tract, a dreary, monotonous steppe, covered with spinifex. 
This is a prickly grass that has been deservedly nicknamed 
“ porcupine grass.” We have to make our way between the 
tufts that rise sometimes five feet above the ground, and 
the thorns of which are liable to prick our mounts. The spini- 
fex has already assumed a yellowish color, which is a sign 
that it is now unfit for animal food. So long as the stalks 



Two of the Natives killed a large Reptile, { p . 294), 





' 























MRS. BRA NICAN’S DIARY. 297 

are green, camels do not object to eat them ; but such is no 
longer the case, and their only care now is to step clear 
of them. 

Under these conditions our journey is becoming very 
laborious. We must accustom ourselves to it, however, for 
we have before us hundreds of miles of these spinifex-co- 
vered plains. It is the shrub of the desert, the only one 
that can live on the barren soil of central Australia. 

The heat is still increasing, and shade is nowhere to be 
had. Our pedestrian followers are visibly suffering from 
this excessive temperature. Would it be credited that five 
months earlier in the year, as stated by Colonel Warburton, 
the thermometer sometimes falls below zero, and the creeks 
are covered over with a layer of ice an inch thick ! 

Then water-courses are plentiful ; while now, however 
deep we might dig beneath the dried-up creeks, we should 
not find a single drop of water. 

Marix has ordered the men of the escort who have 
camels to lend them now and again to those who have 
none. This step was taken in order to put an end to the 
grumblings of the blacks ; and I noticed with regret that 
Len Burker made himself their spokesman on this occasion. 
Of course the men are to be pitied : picking their steps for 
miles among tufts of spinifex, under a temperature which 
is scarcely bearable morning or evening, must be painful in 
the extreme ; at the same time, it is not for Burker to ex- 
cite their jealousy against the whites. Indeed, the blacks 
are no concern of his whatever ; and I have told him to be 
careful. 

“ What I do, Dolly,” he answered “ is in the interest of 
everybody.” 

“I sincerely hope so,” I said. 

“ The hardships should be equally shared by all.” 

“ As to that business, Mr. Burker,” said Tom Marix, 
who had unexpectedly joined us, “ I’ll thank you to leave 


298 MISTRESS BRANICAN. 

it to me ; I'll make whatever arrangements are neces- 
sary.” 

Burker went off with ill-disguised vexation. I could see 
it, even without the angry look he cast in our direction. 
Jane noticed it, too, when she caught her husband’s eye, 
and the poor woman immediately looked another way. 

Marix has promised to do everything in his power to 
satisfy his men, both black and white. 

Dece?nber 5. — During our halts we are greatly tormented 
by white ants. These insects swarm in myriads. They 
are invisible in the fine sand ; but the mere pressure of 
one’s foot brings them up to the surface. 

“ My skin is as tough and hard as any old shark’s,” said 
Zach to me just now, “and yet those blamed insects don’t 
turn up their noses at it ! ” 

In truth the hide of our camels is not thick enough to 
be proof against their bites. We cannot lie on the ground 
now without instantly being attacked by them. To escape 
them we should have to lie in the sun, as they cannot stand 
its terrific rays. This would merely be rushing from one 
evil to another. 

Among all of us the Chinese servant is undoubtedly the 
least disturbed by these ants. 

Is he so lazy that even their bites cannot spur him into 
something like action ? I know not ; but it is a simple 
fact that, while we are turning from one side to another, 
and beside ourselves with feverish excitement, the priv- 
ileged Gin-Ghi, stretched at full length in the shade of a 
tuft of spinifex, sleeps peacefully and without a stir, as 
though these horrid insects respected his yellow skin. 

Jos Merritt is almost as patient as his man is indifferent, 
although his long body offers the tiny assailants a wider 
fiel.d for action. He never complains. With a regular 
and automatic movement, his two arms rise and fall one 


MRS . BRANICAN'S DIARY. 299 

after the other, mechanically crushing thousands of the 
little ants ; and occasionally he is heard to say, as he looks 
over at his invulnerable factotum : 

“ Really, those Chinese have been exceptionally favored 
by nature — Gin-Ghi ? ” 

“ Yes, Master Jos ? ” 

“ You and I must change skins ! ” 

“Yes, Master Jos,” the Celestial would drawl out, “and 
at the same time we must exchange our conditions.” 

“ Oh, that’s right ! That’s quite right ! But to effect 
this exchange, we shall have to be previously skinned and 
of course you will be the first.” 

“ Master Jos, we’ll talk about it again at the third moon.” 

And, so saying, Gin-Ghi drops asleep again until the 
fifth watch, as he says in his own poetic way, that is, until 
the caravan is about to start off again. 

December 10. — This torture continues until Tom Marix 
gives the starting signal. Happily the ants never think of 
climbing up the legs of the camels, although our footmen 
are not, even on the move, quite free from those insup- 
portable insects. 

Besides that, when on the march, we are assailed by 
enemies of another kind, and no less unpleasant ; these 
are the mosquitoes, the most formidable pest in Australia. 
The cattle *they sting, especially in the rainy season, look 
as though they were seized with some epidemic disease ; 
they grow thin, break down in health, and even die in 
spite of all efforts to save them. 

And yet, what would we not give to be in the rainy 
season ? The plague of ants or mosquitoes is nothing com- 
pared to the tortures of thirst provoked by the heat of Novem- 
ber in Australia. Want of water, they say, ultimately brings 
on a complete annihilation of intellectual power and physi- 
cal strength. And now our supply is dwindling away, our 



3 °° 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


little casks sound very empty. We filled them at the last 
creek ; but what they contain now is but a heated liquid, 
made thick and muddy with incessant jolting, and it hardly 
quenches our thirst. 

What is no less alarming is that our camels are now 
falling into a dragging stride instead of the high-stepping 
gait which is familiar to them. Their necks are stretched 
toward the horizon, which lies yonder at the far end of 
this ever dreary expanse, without a hill, without a tree, with 
nothing but the arid spinifex, whose long roots alone main- 
tain it in the sand. No sign, no vestige that might suggest 
the presence of a well or a spring ! 

December 16. — In our two stages to-day we have not 
traveled nine miles. Indeed I could not fail to observe 
that for several days past our average has become lower 
and lower. Strong as they are, our camels seem scarcely 
able to move on, especially those carrying the equipment. 

Marix flies in a passion when he sees his men suddenly 
stopping before he has given the word to halt. He goes 
over to the poor beasts and lashes them with his whip, al- 
though it has but little effect on them, their hide is so thick ! 

This leads Jos Merritt to remark with his habitual 
phlegm : 

“ That’s right ! That’s quite right, Mr. Marix ! But let 
me give you a word of advice : it is not th^ camel you 
should whip, it’s the driver ! ” 

And in truth Marix would gladly take his advice, did I 
not interfere to prevent him. Happen what may, let us 
not add bad treatment to the fatigues endured by our follow- 
ers. Some of them would desert us in the end. I am al- 
ways afraid of it, especially in the case of the black men of 
the escort, although Marix continually reassures me on that 
point. 



“ It’s not 


the Camel you should whip 
Driver ” (/. 3°°)- 


it’s the 





MRS. BRANICAN'S DIARY. 


301 


From December 17 to December 27. — Our journey still 
continues in the same conditions. At the beginning of the 
week there was a change in the weather accompanied by a 
rather sharp breeze. A few clouds rose from the north in 
large circular masses. They had the appearance of huge 
bombshells that a single spark would be sufficient to explode. 

On that day — the 23d — the spark came, a streak of light- 
ning flashed though the sky. Loud thunder-claps burst 
with great violence, but without those prolonged peals that 
are re-echoed over and over again in mountainous districts. 
At the same time atmospheric currents swept by us with such 
force that we were unable to remain on our mounts. We had 
to alight and even lay ourselves on the ground. Zach, 
Godfrey, Tom Marix, and Len Burker had great diffi- 
culty in protecting our kibitka against the force of the 
squall. As to camping or pitching our tents between 
the clumps of spinifex, it was out of the question under 
such conditions. 

In an instant all our material would have been scattered, 
broken, and rendered unfit for future use. 

“ That’s nothing,” said Zach, rubbing his hands, “ a 
storm is soon over.” 

“ Hurrah for the storm, if it brings us water!” cried 
Godfrey. 

Godfrey is right. Water ! water ! is our cry. But will it 
rain ? That is the question. 

Yes, that is the whole question, for an abundant rainfall 
would indeed prove to us the manna in the desert. Unfor- 
tunately the air was so dry — which accounted for the re- 
markable shortness of the thunder-claps — that the clouds 
might very well remain in a state of vapor and not dissolve 
into rain. And still it would have been hard to imagine a 
more violent storm, or a more deafening mixture of thunder 
and lightning. 

I had an opportunity of observing what I had been told 



302 MISTRESS BRA me A AT. 

• 

of the behavior of the natives during a storm. They have 
no dread of thunder ; they never close their eyes at the 
flashes of lightning, nor do they tremble at the loud roars 
in the heavens ; on the contrary, the cries they uttered on 
this occasion were exclamations of joy. They do not seem 
to feel in the slightest degree that physical impression 
experienced by any living being when the air is loaded 
with electricity, and when that electricity manifests itself 
by the rending of the clouds in the fiery glare of the 
skies. 

The nervous system in these primitive beings cannot be 
very sensitive, or it may be perhaps that they were wel- 
coming this storm for the sake of the flood of rain it might 
send them. And in truth this uncertainty was for us a 
cruel repetition of the tortures of Tantalus. 

“ Mrs. Branican,” said Godfrey to me, “ just think ! It’s 
good pure water, Heaven’s water, that is hanging there, 
over our heads ; here are streaks of lightning bursting the 
clouds, and yet not a drop comes down.” 

“ Have a little patience, my child,” I answered, “ let us 
not give up yet.” 

“ Who talks of giving up ? ” queried Zach ; “ look, the 
clouds are gettingthicker and flying lower ; if only the wind 
would stop a minute, all the fireworks would end in a deluge.” 

Sure enough, the great danger was that the hurricane 
should carry off the clouds toward the south, and not let 
one drop of rain fall upon us. 

It was now three o’clock in the afternoon, it seemed as * 
if the horizon was clearing a little toward the north and 
that the storm would soon be over. What a cruel dis- 
appointment it would be ! 

“ That’s right ! That’s quite right ! ” 

Never was the Englishman’s favorite phraseology more 
appropriate or more justified. There he was, with his out- 


MRS. BRANICAN'S DIARY. 


3°3 


stretched palm, assuring us that a few large drops had 
fallen on it. 

The shower was not long in coming. We sought shelter 
under our waterproof cloaks. Then, without losing a 
moment, every receptacle that we possessed was placed on 
the ground, so as to gather the welcome godsend. Canvas 
and blankets even were stretched out ; the water they 
would contain, when they were thoroughly soaked, would 
afterward be rung out and given to our animals. 

Instantly the camels were able to satisfy the thirst that 
tortured them ; for streamlets of water and puddles were 
at once formed between the tufts of spinifex. The plain 
threatened to become one vast swamp. There was water 
now, and in plenty; nor did we relish it the less when we 
remembered that the parched soil would soon absorb it all, 
as would a sponge, and that the sun, even now reappearing 
on the horizon, would not be long in evaporating the last 
remaining drops. 

In any case our supply was assured for several days. It 
would enable us to continue our daily stages with men re- 
vived both morally and physically, and beasts once more in 
a fit state to undergo their labor ! The casks were filled 
to their utmost capacity, everything that was watertight 
was used as a receptacle. As to the camels, they had not 
neglected to fill the internal pouch with which nature has 
provided them, and in which they can carry water for a 
certain time. Fifteen gallons — so I was told — is the capacity 
of this marvelous pouch. 

They are rare, unfortunately, those Australian storms, at 
least at this time of the year when the summer heat is at its 
highest, and it would be foolish to reckon on such haphazard 
eventualities for the future. This storm had lasted scarcely 
three hours. Although no sign of it would presently 
be left in the beds of the creeks, the wells perhaps might 


304 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


benefit by it to a greater extent, and we would have cause 
to be thankful if we but knew that this downpour was not 
purely local. Let us hope that it may have cooled a few 
hundred miles of the Australian desert. 

December 29. — In this way, and following all the time 
the itinerary taken by Colonel Warburton, we have reached 
Waterloo Spring without further accident, 140 miles from 
Mount Liebig. We were then on the 126th degree of longi- 
tude, as ascertained by Tom Marix and Godfrey on the 
map. We had just crossed, as they told me, the conven- 
tional straight line drawn from south to north between the 
neighboring provinces and that vast portion of the conti- 
nent which bears the name of Western Australia. 


CHAPTER X. 

A FEW MORE EXTRACTS. 

W ATERLOO SPRING is not a town, not a village 
even. A few abandoned huts, nothing more. The 
nomads only stay there during the rainy season when the 
creeks are full, which enables them to remain there a 
certain length of time. Waterloo has no particular claim 
whatever to the suffix “ Spring,” a common addition to the 
names of all the stations in the desert. No spring flowed 
on its surface ; indeed, as we have remarked already, al- 
though the African Sahara may boast cool and shady oases, 
watered with running streams, it were vain to look for such 
blessings on the Sahara of Australia. 

This was frequently alluded to in Mrs. Branican’s diary, 
a few additional extracts from which we shall reproduce 
here. Better than the most precise description, they will 
acquaint us with the country, and display in all their horror 



























/ 














































































































































































Our provision of Salt was renewed ( p . 310). 


A FEW MORE EXTRACTS. 


3°5 


the hardships in store for those who venture into it. They 
will also enable the reader to appreciate the moral energy 
and unconquerable pluck of the writer, her never flinching 
determination to reach her goal, at the price of any sacrifice. 

December 30. — We must stay forty-eight hours at Water- 
loo Spring. These delays grieve me when I think of the 
distance that still separates us from the valley of the Fitz- 
Roy. And who knows whether we will not have to go be- 
yond that valley in search of the Indas tribe ? Since the 
day Harry Felton left it, what has been the life of my poor 
John? Did the natives avenge themselves on him for the 
escape of his comrade ? — I must not think of that. The 
thought alone would kill me ! 

Zach Fren tries to reassure me in the following manner : 

“Since Captain John and Felton were prisoners with 
these Indas for so many years,” he argues, “ it shows they 
had some interest in keeping them alive. Felton gave us 
to understand that much, ma’am. The niggers see that 
they have a white man who is worth something and they are 
waiting the opportunity to exchange him for a ransom of pro- 
portionate value. To my way of thinking, the escape of his 
comrade cannot have altered Captain John’s condition.” 

God grant that such is the case ! 

This is the last day of the year 1890. 

Fifteen years since the Franklin left the port of San 
Diego ! Fifteen years ! And we left Adelaide only four 
months and five days ago ! This new year we are begin- 
ning in the desert ; how will it end ? 

My companions would not let this day go by without 
wishing me a happy new year. Dear Jane came to me, a 
prey to the deepest emotion, and I held her for a long time 
in my arms. Zach and Marix shook me warmly by the 
hand. I know I possess in them two friends who would lay 
their lives down for me. All our people gathered around 


3°6 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


me with all kinds of affectionate greeting. I say all ; I must 
except the blacks, however : their dissatisfaction shows it- 
self on every occasion. It is evident Marix has great trouble 
in keeping them together. 

Len Burker, in his usual cold tone, expressed his con- 
viction that we should meet with success. He has no 
doubt but we will attain the aim of our efforts. He is 
not sure, however, that we are right in pushing toward the 
Fitz Roy River. The Indas, he thinks, are more likely to 
be found in the immediate vicinity of Queensland, to the 
east of the continent. True, he says, we are going toward 
the spot where Felton last saw his captain — but who can 
say that the Indas have not moved away, etc. 

All of this is said in that tone which never inspires con- 
fidence ; the tone peculiar to certain people who speak to 
you without looking at you. 

But it is Godfrey’s attention that moved me most. He 
had gathered a bunch of those little wildflowers, that grow 
among the clumps of spinifex. He offered them to me 
with such good grace, and the words he spoke were so 
sweet, that tears came to my eyes. How I kissed him, 
my Godfrey, and how he returned my kisses ! Why does 
the thought forever haunt me that little Wat would be 
just his age, that he would be good like him ? 

Jane was there at the time. She was so affected and be- 
came so pale at the sight of Godfrey, I thought she would 
faint. But she recovered and her husband took her away 
— I did not dare retain her. 

We resumed our journey that day at four o’clock in the 
afternoon, under a cloudy sky. The heat was a little more 
tolerable. Both the saddle and the pack camels, sufficiently 
rested from their fatigues, quickened their step. Indeed 
they had even to be held back so as to allow the men on 
foot to keep up with them. 


A FEW MORE EXTRACTS. 


3°7 


January 15. — For several days we have been keeping up 
our quickened pace. Two or three times rain fell rather 
abundantly. We have not had to suffer from thirst, and 
our water supply is renewed. This water question is the 
most serious, the most terrifying also, to be considered 
when a tramp across these deserts is contemplated. It re- 
quires constant attention ; and, so far as our itinerary is 
concerned, wells are truly very scarce, more so perhaps 
even than when Colonel Warburton was here on his way to 
the west coast of Tasmania. 

Henceforth we are to live on our stock of provisions 
alone. We can no longer rely on game ; it has fled these 
solitary regions. We see a flock of pigeons at rare intervals, 
and there is no way of getting close to them. They never 
alight among the spinifex but after a long flight, and when 
their wings are no longer capable of supporting them. 
Still our supply will hold out for several months yet, and on 
that point I am not uneasy. Zach Fren sees with scrupulous 
care that the food — preserves, flour, tea, and coffee — is 
methodically and regularly distributed. We ourselves are 
rationed just like the others. There is no exception made 
for anybody. The blacks then cannot complain that we 
are better off than they are. 

Here and there too, a few scared sparrows flitter about, 
evidently lost in these wilds, but they are not worth the 
trouble of running after them. 

We are still infested with myriads of white ants during 
our halts. As to the mosquitoes, the country is too dry for 
them to annoy us. Tom Marix says we will have them 
again when we reach cooler parts. Well, then, I would 
rather put up with their bites. The water that attracts 
them by the thousand would be cheap even at that 
price. 

We reached Mary Spring on January 23, ninety miles 
from Waterloo. A group of delicate-looking trees stands 


3°8 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


hard by. They are eucalypti, that have sucked up all the 
moisture around them and still are visibly declining. 

“ The leaves hang down like so many thirsty tongues,” 
said Godfrey. 

This comparison was quite justified. 

I notice that the plucky boy has lost hone of the gay- 
ety of his age. His health is still the Same, a thing I was 
anxious about, for he is now at the critical period of his 
growth. Strange, that unheard-of resemblance that I can- 
not help remarking every instant, that same look in his eye 
when he turns to me, that same tone in his voice, the very 
way he says things and expresses his thoughts, everything 
reminds me of my poor John ! 

One day I drew Burker’s attention to it. 

“ No, Dolly,” he answered, “ that’s all illusion on your 
part. I must say I really don’t see any such striking re- 
semblance. I verily believe it only exists in your imagina- 
tion. In any case it does not matter much, if that is the 
reason you take an interest in the boy.” 

“ No, Len,” I interrupted ; “if I have shown so great an 
affection for Godfrey, it is because I saw him so earnest 
about the one aim of my life — the rescuing of John. He 
entreated me to bring him with us, and, moved by his 
prayers, I consented. And then, again, he is one of my 
San Diego children, one of those poor homeless little waifs 
that were brought up at Wat House— Godfrey is like a 
brother to my little Wat. . . .” 

“ Yes — Yes — I know, Dolly,” he broke in, “ and in a cer- 
tain way, I understand you. I trust you will never have to 
repent an act in which your kind heart has had a larger 
share than your judgement.” 

“ I don’t like to hear you speak in that way, Len Burker,” 
said I sharply, “ I feel hurt at your remarks. What have 
you against Godfrey ? ” 

“ Oh, nothing, up to the present. But who knows ? 


A EE W MORE EXTRACTS. 


309 

Later on, perhaps, he may abuse that very pronounced 
affection of yours toward him. A foundling ! One never 
knows where he comes from, who or what he is, what blood 
runs in his veins.” 

“It is the blood of good and respectable people, I am 
sure of it,” I cried. “ On board the Brisbane he was 
liked by everyone, his superiors and comrades alike ; and, 
from what the captain told me, Godfrey never deserved a 
word of reprimand! Zach Fren, who ought to know, 
appreciates him as 1 do ! Now, will you tell me, Burker, 
why you don’t like that child ? ” 

“ I, Dolly ? I neither like nor dislike him. I feel in- 
different about him, that’s all. As to my friendship, I 
don’t give it to the first comer in that manner ; my only 
thought at present is John, and the means of rescuing 
him.” 

If that is a lesson Burker wished to give me, it has 
been wasted on me, for I decline to take it. The presence 
of this child surely does not make me forget my husband ; 
but I am happy in the thought that Godfrey will have aided 
me in my endeavors. I feel sure John will approve of 
what I have done and what I intend doing for the boy. 

When I went over this interview with Jane the poor 
woman lowered her head and made no reply. 

In future I must refrain from this subject. Jane will 
not, she cannot, take sides against Burker. I understand 
her reticence ; it is her duty. 

January 29. — We have reached the banks of a little 
lake, a sort of lagoon, which Marix believes to be the 
White Lake. It deserves its name just now ; for at the 
bottom of the basin, in place of the water, which is all 
evaporated, there lies a layer of salt. One more relic, so 
it seems, of that inland sea which at one time divided 
Australia into two large islands. 


3 10 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Zach has renewed our provision of salt ; but drinkable 
water would have been more appreciated. 

This neighborhood is alive with rats, smaller than the 
ordinary ones. We have to guard against their onslaught 
during the night. They are so voracious they gnaw every- 
thing in their reach. 

On the other hand, they seem to be no contemptible 
game in the eyes of the blacks ; for, having caught a few 
dozen of these animals, our men prepared them, cooked them, 
and made apparently a very enjoyable meal of them. We 
should be very short of provisions indeed to have recourse 
to such a dish. God grant we may never be reduced to it ! 

We are at last on the edge of the desert known as the 
Great Sandy Desert. 

Another change in the look of the steppe for the last 
twenty miles. The spinifex is becoming scarcer ; in certain 
places it has disappeared altogether. Is the ground so dry 
that it cannot support even such poor vegetation as this ? 
Who would not believe it, on seeing the immense plain, un- 
dulated here and there with little mounds of red sand, and 
no sign of the least creek in sight? It suggests the thought 
that it never rains on this sunburnt waste — not even in 
winter. 

In the face of this lamentable barrenness, this woeful 
aridity, there is not one of us but is seized with the sad- 
dest presentiments. Tom Marix shows me these desolate 
wilds on the map : they are represented by a blank space 
through which are drawn the itineraries of Giles and Gib- 
son. A tortuous line toward the north indicates the un- 
certainty of Colonel Warburton’s course, and his numerous 
detours and countermarches in search of wells. Here, his 
followers are sick, dying of hunger, utterly prostrated, 
There, his animals succumb one by one ; his son, too, is 
dying. Anyone intending to undertake the same trip had 
better not read the account of his travels. The bravest 


A FEW MORE EXTRACTS. 


3ii 

heart might fail. But I have read it, and I am reading it 
over again. I will not allow myself to be frightened — 
what this explorer did in order to study the unknown re- 
gions of the continent, I am doing to find John ! There 
lies the sole aim of my life, and fulfill it I will. 

February 3. — During the past five days we have again 
been obliged to reduce the average rate of our stages. So 
much lost on the distance we have yet to travel ! It is 
greatly to be regretted. The ground is so irregular, it is 
impossible for us to proceed in a straight line ; and at 
times we are obliged to go up and down very steep inclines. 
In many places the country is intersected by downs which 
our camels must needs go round, since they cannot climb 
up them ; in others, sandy hillocks rise to a height of a 
hundred feet, separated from each other by intervals six or 
seven hundred feet wide. 

Into this sand our footmen sink knee deep, and progress 
becomes more and more laborious. 

The heat is killing. One cannot imagine with what in- 
tensity the sun darts its rays on our heads. They are 
arrows of fire, which pierce you in a thousand places. 
Jane and I can scarcely endure them under the shelter of 
our kibitka. What must our companions suffer during the 
morning and evening marches ! Zach Fren, strong as he 
is, is sorely tried with all these hardships ; but he never 
complains, nor has he lost any of his good-humor, this 
devoted friend, whose existence seems so closely bound up 
in my own ! 

Jos Merritt endures all with a calm composure and a 
power of endurance that one would almost envy him. 
Gin-Ghi, less patient than his master, gives free vent to his 
grievances, but fails to move him in the least. And, when 
I think that this eccentric being undergoes such trials for 
the sake of a hat ! 


312 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


“That’s right! That’s quite right!” is his invariable 
reply when this subject is touched upon. “But if you 
knew what a rarissima avis of a hat ! 

“ Some old clown’s topper, most likely ! ” muttered Zach 
Fren one day, with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“ A rag ! ” added Gin-Ghi, “ a rag unfit to be turned into 
a slipper ! ” 

In the middle of the day, between eight and four o’clock, 
it would be impossible to walk a step. The camp is pitched 
wherever we happen to be ; and two or three tents are put 
up. The men of the escort, whites and blacks, lie as best 
they can in the shade of the camels. What is frightful to 
contemplate is that our supply of water will soon be ex- 
hausted. What will become of us if we find none but dried- 
up wells ? I feel that Marix is extremely uneasy, although 
he tries to hide his anxiety from me. It is wrong of him ; 
he ought to tell me everything. I can bear it all and will 
not tremble. 

February 14. — Eleven days have slowly passed along, 
during which we have had but two hours’ rain. We were 
scarcely able to procure enough to fill our casks and to 
satisfy the thirst of men and beasts. In this condition we 
reached Emily Spring, the well of which is absolutely dry, 
Our cattle are exhausted. Jos Merrit is at a loss to know 
how to keep his camel on the move. He does not beat it, 
however, but tries to coax it along. I can hear him say to 
it : 

“ Now then, my poor old thing ; this is no easy job, of 
course, I know ; still, you have no trouble on your mind, you 
haven’t ! ” 

The poor thing does not seem to comprehend this very 
fine distinction. 

We continue our journey in greater perplexity than ever. 

Two of the unfortunate brutes are sick. They cannot 





The sick men (/. 313). 



A FEW MORE EXTRACTS. 


3*3 


keep up to us, and they will never be able to follow us to 
the end. One of them carried provisions ; his load has 
been transferred to one of the saddle-camels of the escort. 

Happily the male ridden by Marjx is still on his legs. 

We must leave the two sick ones behind ; were we to let 
them die of hunger and thirst they would suffer terrible 
agonies ; it seems more humane to end their miseries 
at once. 

The caravan passes on and winds its way around a 
mound of sand — two shots are heard — Marix joins us 
again, and the journey continues. 

What is still more alarming is the health of two of our 
men, whose state causes me great anxiety. They have 
been seized with fever ; the sulphate of quinine, with which 
the medicine-chest is well supplied, is not spared them ; 
but they are parched with thirst. We have no more water, 
and nothing shows that we are in the vicinity of a well. 

The sick men are stretched on the backs of two camels, 
led by some of their comrades. Human beings cannot be 
left behind like cattle. We owe them every care ; it is our 
duty, and we will do it. But that merciless heat is slowly 
'devouring them. 

Marix, accustomed as he is to the trials of the desert, 
and an experienced hand, too, at doctoring his men in the 
country police, confesses himself at his wits’ end. Water, 
water we clamor for and ask of the clouds, since the earth 
can no longer afford us any. 

Those of us who best withstand the fatigues and support 
this excessive heat are the native blacks. 

Still, although they suffer less than we do, their discon- 
tent increases day by day. In vain Marix endeavors to 
calm them. The more restless spirits among them keep 
apart during the halts and excite each other ; and symp- 
toms of an imminent mutiny are but too evident. 

On the 2 1st they all with one accord refused to continue 


3 T 4 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


the journey toward the northwest, giving as their excuse 
that they were dying of thirst. Their excuse was, alas, 
but too serious. For the past twelve hours our casks had 
been quite empty. We had had to fall back on alcolohic 
drinks, and their effect of course is deplorable, affecting the 
head as they do. 

I had to appear myself in the midst of those obstinate 
men. What I proposed to make them understand, if pos- 
sible, was that stopping where they were under such cir- 
cumstances was not the way to put an end to their suffer- 
ings. 

“ We don’t want to stop here, either,” answered one of 
them, “ we want to turn back.” 

“Back, and where to ?” 

“ Back to Mary Spring.” 

“ There is no water at Mary Spring,” I answered, “ and 
well you know it.” 

“ If there is no more water at Mary Spring,” returned 
the native, “ we’ll find some a little above it, close to 
Mount Wilson, in the direction of Sturt Creek.” 

I look at Marix. He brings out the map of the Great 
Sandy Desert. We consult it. True enough, north of 
Mary Spring, there is marked a somewhat important stream, 
which may not be entirely dried up, perhaps. But how 
could the native know of the existence of this stream ? I 
question him on the subject. He hesitates at first, but 
eventually confesses that Mr. Burker spoke to them about 
it. He even was the man who had suggested to them go- 
ing toward Sturt Creek. 

I feel greatly annoyed that Burker should have been so 
imprudent — was it only imprudence ? — as to give the blacks 
the idea of returning eastward. Not only would it cause 
further delay, but it would necessitate a change in our itin- 
erary, which would then take us away from the Fitz-Roy 
River. 


A FEW MORE EXTRACTS. 315 

I straightway seek an explanation with him. 

“ What can be done, Dolly ? ” he answers. “ It is better 
to expose one’s self to a little delay, or even make a detour, 
thafi to persist in following a track on which there is no 
well.” 

“ In any case, Mr. Burker,” remarked Zach Fren sharply, 
“ it is to Mrs. Branican you should have brought your ideas, 
not to those niggers ! ” 

“ You are behaving in such a way with the blacks of 
the escort,” added Marix, “ that I can do nothing with them. 
Are you their leader, Mr. Burker, or am I ? ” 

“Your remarks are out of place, Tom Marix ! ” replied 
Burker. 

“ Out of place or not, my remarks are justified by 
your conduct, sir ; and I wish you would bear them in 
mind.” 

“ I have no orders to receive from anyone here but Mrs. 
Branican.” 

“Very well then, Len Burker,” I answered. “For the 
future if you have anything to suggest, please come to me, 
and to no one else.” 

“ I could go on ahead, if you would let me, madam,” put 
in Godfrey, “ and scout for wells. Who knows but I might 
find ” 

“ Wells without any water in them ! ” grumbled Burker, 
as he went off shrugging his shoulders. 

I can easily imagine what Jane must have suffered, for 
she witnessed this little scene. Her husband’s behavior, 
so contrary to that friendly spirit that should reign among 
our men, may create us the greatest difficulties. I had 
to join my efforts to those made by Marix to get the 
natives to give up their intention of retracing their 
steps. 

They yielded at last, after a long argumentation, but stip- 
ulated at the same time that if no water was found within 


3 l6 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


forty-eight hours, they would go back to Mary Spring, 
on their way to Sturt Creek. 

February 23. — What unspeakable sufferings we endured 
during the two following days ! Our sick men had 
grown worse. Three more camels fell never to rise 
again, with outstretched neck and swollen sides, unable 
to make another move. We were obliged to kill them. 
Out of the three two were used for riding. Now there are 
four white men of the escort compelled to journey on foot 
at a time when even riding is so tiresome. 

And not a human being on this great sandy desert ! 
Not a single native from Tasmania who could tell us the 
whereabouts of a well ! Evidently we have strayed from 
Warburton’s route, for he never traveled for so long a time 
without being able to renew his supply of water. Frequently 
the wells he did meet contained but a thick liquid, hardly 
fit to be drunk ; but we should have felt thankful for such. 

To-day, at last, at the end of the morning’s stage, we 
were able to quench our thirst — Godfrey discovered a 
well in the vicinity of Emily Spring. Early in the morning 
the brave lad went some miles ahead of us, and two hours 
later we saw him returning at full speed. 

“ A well ! A well ! ” he cried from as far off as it was 
possible for us to hear him. 

At this cry our little company revived. The camels even 
stepped out briskly, as though the one ridden by Godfrey 
had told them on returning : . 

“ Water ! Water ! ” 

One hour later we halted under a clump of dried up 
trees, shading the well. Luckily they were gum trees and 
not eucalypti, or else no water would have been left for us. 

Nor must it be forgotten that such wells as one occasion- 
ally meets here are soon emptied out by a thirsty caravan. 
They hold, at best, but a little water hidden deep beneath 


' 



































' 











































“With what Delight we quenched our Thirst!” (/>. 317;. 


A FEW MORE EXTRACTS. 


317 


the sand. The fact is, as I understand, that they have not 
been made by the hand of man ; they are but natural cavi- 
ties formed during the rainy season. They are seldom more 
than five or six feet deep — which is just enough to save the 
water, thus sheltered from the sun’s rays, from being evapo- 
rated or rendered foul even during the long heat of summer. 

Sometimes these reservoirs are not marked by any trees ; 
and it is then but too easy to pass by them without perceiv- 
ing them. The traveler must therefore be constantly on 
the alert ; a wise recommendation of Colonel Warburton’s 
which we followed to the letter. 

This time Godfrey was in luck. The well, near which 
we halted at eleven in the morning, contained more water 
than was necessary both for our camels and for our supply. 
This water, filtered through sands, had retained all its lim- 
pidity and freshness ; for the cavity, being at the foot of a 
down, was not struck directly by the rays of the sun. 

With what delight we quenched our thirst in the face of 
such abundance ! It was even thought prudent to urge 
our companions to drink moderately, else they would cer- 
tainly have done themselves harm. 

The beneficial effects of water cannot be imagined by 
anyone who has not felt the tortures of thirst for a con- 
siderable time. The result is instantaneous, the most 
broken down feel a new life, strength returns immediately, 
and with strength comes courage. It is more than a re- 
vival — it is a new birth. 

The next morning at four o’clock we resumed our jour- 
ney toward the northwest, in order to reach Joanna Spring 
by the shortest way, a distance of about 190 miles from 
Mary Spring. 

These few notes, taken from Mrs. Branican’s diary, will 
be enough to show how her energy never left her a moment. 
We must now continue the narrative of this journey, for 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


which the future still reserves so many adventures impos- 
sible to foresee, and so important by their consequences. 


CHAPTER XI. 


SYMPTOMS. 


S hinted in the last few lines of Mrs. Branican’s diary, 



ii strength and confidence had once more returned to 
the members of the caravan. The provisions had never 
failed, and would not fail for several months. Water alone 
had been wanting on several occasions ; but the last well, 
discovered by Godfrey, had yielded more than was needed, 
and the journey was resumed cheerfully. 

True, there was still the same stifling heat to endure, the 
same burning air to breathe along those interminable plains, 
without trees or shade of any kind. And very few are the 
travelers who can stand this broiling climate with impunity, 
especially when they are not natives of Australia. What 
the native can withstand kills the stranger. One must be 
specially born for this murderous climate. 

Nothing but downs as yet and long symmetrical mon- 
ticules of red sand. It would recall a land recently the 
scene of some huge conflagration, the livid glare of which, 
intensified by the solar rays, burns the eye of the beholder. 
The soil was so hot that it would have been impossible for 
the whites to walk on it barefooted. As to the natives, 
they were so hardened to it by habit that it should have 
given them no pretext for complaining ; they did so, how- 
ever, and their ill-feeling grew more apparent every day. 
Had not Tom Marix desired to retain a full escort, in case 
he should be attacked by some nomad tribe, he most as- 
suredly would have asked Mrs. Branican to send them 
about their business. 


SYMPTOMS. 


319 


Moreover, Marix saw daily growing around him the dif- 
ficulties inherent to an expedition of this kind ; and, when 
he thought that all these toils and all these dangers would 
lead to no result, he must indeed have held complete mastery 
of himself not to allow his thoughts to be seen. Zach Fren 
alone had guessed them and was angry with him for not 
sharing his hopes. 

“ Really, Tom,” said he one day, “I never thought you 
were the sort to show the white feather ! ” 

“ The white feather ? That’s not it, mate ! The old pluck 
won’t cry off to the last ! It is not trudging along through 
this waste I am thinking of ; it’s getting to the other end 
and then having to come back again without having done 
any good.” 

“ Do you believe then, Tom, that Captain John has died 
since Felton came away ?” 

“ I can’t tell, Zach ; and you can’t either.” 

“ Yes, I can, just as easy as I can tell that a ship leans to 
the starboard when you turn her helm to the larboard.” 

“ Now, Zach, you are talking just like Mrs. Branican or 
Godfrey, and you work up your hopes into certainties. I 
sincerely trust you are right. Well, then, Captain John, if 
he is alive, is in the hands of the Indas ; but where are the 
Indas, that’s the trouble.” 

“ Right where they are, Tom ; and that’s where the car- 
avan will go, were we to cruise around for the next six 
months. Why, hang it, man, when you can’t sail on with 
the wind in your teeth, you tack about and get there all 
the same.” 

“ You do that on sea, Zach, where you know what port 
you are steering to. But, right here, how do we know 
where we are going? ” 

“ The man that throws up the sponge will never find 
that out, any way ! ” 

“ I am not that man, Zach ! ” 


3 2 ° 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ What’s worse, Tom, is that some people might think it 
from your looks. The man that can’t hide his fears makes 
a poor captain, and he’ll never have but a half-hearted 
crew. Take care of your face, Tom ; not for Mrs. Brani- 
can’s sake, nothing can shake her ; but for the white people 
of our escort ! Suppose they should ever go and join 
them niggers.” 

“ I answer for them as for myself.” 

“ And I’ll go bail for you as I would for myself, Tom ! 
So don’t let us talk of lowering our flag so long as the 
masts are standing ! ” 

“ And whoever dreams of it, Zach, unless Len Burker ? ” 

u Oh ! him ? I’ll lay you dollars to doughnuts, friend, 
that if I was captain, he’d have been at the bottom of the 
hold with a good old bullet to each foot, long ago ! But 
let him look out, I’ve got my eye on him ! ” 

Zach Fren was right to keep his eye on Len Burker ; to 
the latter alone it would be due if ever the expedition be- 
came disorganized. Unceasingly did he stir up discontent 
among the blacks of the escort, and this is one of the 
causes that might ruin the success of the undertaking ; but 
in truth, even though this danger had not e'xisted, Tom 
Marix would have entertained very little more hope of 
meeting the Indas and rescuing Captain John. 

The neighborhood of the Fitz Roy River may have been 
the favorite haunt of those Indas, and thus far the course 
followed by the caravan was justified ; but circumstances 
may have obliged them to move away— .the exigencies of 
warfare, for instance. Peace but seldom reigns among 
those tribes, small though they be, containing no more 
than 250 or 300 souls each. There are inveterate feuds 
between them, rivalries which call for blood and whose 
cravings are the more readily obeyed as, for cannibals, war- 
fare means a hunt. The foe is not a foe only, he is the 
toothsome game on which the victor will regale. Thence 










Godfrey spied two flacks (/. 321) 


SYMPTOMS. 


321 


arise fights, pursuits, flights which sometimes take them 
a considerable distance away. 

It would therefore be of the greatest advantage to know 
whether the Indas had not abandoned their habitual loca- 
tion, and this could be ascertained only by falling upon an 
Australian from the northwest. 

To this end Marix directed his best endeavors, heartily 
seconded as he was by Godfrey, who, in spite of Mrs. Brani- 
can’s recommendations, her injunctions even, would some- 
times stray several miles ahead. When he was not in 
search of a well he would be looking for a native ; but 
hitherto it had been in vain. The country was deserted, 
and in truth, to what human being, however roughened his 
nature might be, could it have afforded the very necessaries 
of life ? Venturing in the vicinity of the telegraph line was 
barely possible, and even there we know at the cost of 
what hardships. 

On March 9, about half-past nine in the morning, a cry 
was heard some short distance away — a cry made up of 
these two syllables: “coo, eeh!” 

“ There are natives somewhere about,” said Marix. 

“ Natives?” inquired Dolly. 

“ Yes, madam, that is their way of calling each other.” 

“ Let us try to catch up to them,” suggested Zach Fren. 

The caravan had not proceeded another hundred steps 
when Godfrey spied two blacks among the downs. To get 
hold of them would be no easy matter, for, as soon as an 
Australian sees white men, he runs away as if for his very 
life. These two were trying to conceal themselves in the 
spinifex behind a high red sand mound. But Mrs. Brani- 
can’s friends surrounded them and brought them up to 
her. 

One might have been fifty years old, the other, his son, 
about twenty. They were both on their way to Lake 
Woods Station, which belongs to the telegraph service. 


3 22 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Some little presents of cloth stuff, and, better still, a few 
pounds of tobacco, soon made them friendly and quite will- 
ing to give satisfactory answers to Tom Marix’s questions 
— answers which Tom immediately translated for Mrs. 
Branican, Godfrey, Zach, and their companions. 

The men had from the first openly declared where they 
were going — a statement of very little interest. Marix 
now inquired where they were coming from, which was far 
more important. 

“ We come from over there — far, far. away,” answered 
the father, pointing toward the northwest. 

“ From the coast ? ” 

“ No — from the interior.” 

“ From Tasmania ? ” 

“ Yes — from the Fitz Roy River.” 

The very river which was daily, hourly spoken of in the 
ranks of the caravan. 

“ What tribe do you belong to ? ” asked Marix. 

“ The Goursis.” 

“ Are they nomads ? ” 

The native did not seem to understand. 

“ Is it a tribe that goes from one place to another,” ex- 
plained Tom. “You don’t live in the same camping-ground 
always, do you ? ” 

“We live at the village of Goursi,” answered the younger 
man, who appeared rather intelligent. 

“ Is that near the Fitz Roy ? ” 

“Yes, ten long days’ journey from where it throws itself 
into the sea.” 

Now it is into the King’s Gulf that the Fitz Roy flows ; 
and that was actually the spot where the Dolly's Hope's 
second voyage had ended in 1883. The ten days’ journey> 
as the young native had expressed it, meant that the village 
of Goursi should be about a hundred miles from the coast, 
— a fact at once ascertained by Godfrey on his map of 






Some little Presents soon made them Friendly (/. 322). 






SYMPTOMS. 


323 


Western Australia, which showed the course of the Fitz 
Roy for a distance of 250 miles from its source among the 
half-explored regions of Tasmania. 

“ Do you know the Indas tribe ? ” then asked Tom Marix. 

The eyes of the father and son seemed to kindle at the 
mention of this name. 

“ Evidently the Indas and the Goursis must be hostile to 
each other, perhaps at war,” observed Marix, addressing 
Mrs. Branican. 

*“ It seems likely,” said Dolly, “ and perhaps these men 
know the whereabouts of the Indas. Ask them about it, 
Marix, and try to get as accurate an answer as possi- 
ble. On what they say may depend the success of our 
efforts.” 

Marix asked the question point-blank, and the elder man 
replied, without hesitation, that the Indas were then high 
up the river. 

“ How far are they from the village of Goursi ?” 

“ Twenty days’ journey facing the rising sun,” answered 
the younger. 

This distance being calculated on the map, it was surmised 
that the Indas’ camp should be about 280 miles from the 
spot then occupied by the caravan. As for the rest, this 
information tallied with the directions previously given by 
Harry Felton. 

“Is your tribe often at war with the Indas?” 

“ Always ! ” cried the young man. 

And the tone of his voice and the violence of his gesture 
bespoke the wild fire of the cannibal’s hatred. 

“ And we will hunt them down,” added the old man, his 
teeth gnashing in pleasurable anticipation, “ and we will 
beat them when the white chief will not be among them to 
give them advice.” 

Mrs. Branican’s emotion, and that of her friends, can 
easily be imagined when Tom Marix translated this answer. 


324 


MISTRESS BRA NIC A li. 


Could this white chief, evidently a prisoner with the Indas, 
be any other but Captain John ? 

And at Dolly’s entreaties, Marix plied the two natives 
with further questions. They could give but very vague 
iuformation about the white chief. They did know for a 
fact, however, that three months ago, at the time of their 
last encounter, he was still in the power of the Indas. 

“And but for him,” cried the young Australian, “ the 
Indas would not have a man left by this time ! ” 

It concerned the hearers but little whether there was 
exaggeration in this or not ; they had obtained the informa- 
tion they were so anxious to have. John Branican and the 
Indas were less than three hundred miles away, toward the 
northwest. They would be found on the banks of the 
Fitz Roy. 

As the camp was about being raised, Jos Merritt detained 
the two natives who had just been dismissed with more 
presents by Mrs. Branican, and begged Tom Marix to 
question them as to the grand gala hats worn by the chiefs 
of the Goursis tribe and likewise those of the Indas. 

And if the truth must be told, Jos Merritt did not hang 
on their lips with less panting emotion than Dolly had done 
during their previous interrogatory. 

The worthy collector had every reason to be satisfied, 
as was shown by the hearty “ Right ! That’s right ! ” which 
broke from his lips when he learnt that hats of foreign 
manufacture were not uncommon among the Australians 
of the northwest. These hats, he was informed, usually 
adorned the heads of the principal chiefs on grand oc- 
casions. 

“You understand, Mrs. Branican,” observed Jos Merritt 
afterward, “finding Captain John, that’s right ! that’s quite 
right ! but being able to put my hand on that historical 
treasure, in search of which I have gone over the five parts 
of the world, is still better.” 


SYMPTOMS. 


325 

“ Evidently,” answered Mrs. Branican, who, under the cir- 
cumstances, did not seem to feel surprised at the remark. 

“You heard that, Gin-Ghi ? ” added the Englishman, 
turning to his servant. 

“ I did, Master Jos,” replied the Chinaman, “and when 
we have found that hat ” 

“ We will return to England, go back to Liverpool, and 
there, Gin-Ghi, with a superb black cap, a red silk gown 
and a yellow macoual, you will have nothing more to do than 
show my collection to amateurs. Now are you happy ? ” 

“ As the haitang flower, on the point of blooming beneath 
the breath of the zephir when the rabbit of Jade is gone down 
toward the west,” was Gin-Ghi’s metaphorical reply. 

Nevertheless he shook his head with as little faith in his 
future happiness as if his master had assured him that he 
should be made a seven-buttoned mandarin. 

Len Burkerhad been present during Marix’s conversation 
with the natives, whose language he understood, but had 
taken no share in it. Not one question about Captain John 
had come from him. He listened attentively, evidently 
noting in his memory everything connected with the pres- 
ent position of the Indas. He observed on the map the 
spot where the tribe was then camping on the Fitz-Roy 
River, he calculated the distance that the caravan would 
have to travel to reach there, and the time it would take to 
do so. 

In reality it would be a matter of a few weeks, if no ob- 
stacle sprang up in their way, if the means of transportation 
did not fail them, and if they were able to withstand the fa- 
tigues and sufferings occasioned by the heat. Len Burker 
felt that these cheerful tidings would give renewed courage 
to everybody ; and his wicked heart’s blood boiled at the 
thought. What ! Captain John would be found among the 
natives ; and thanks to the ransom that Dolly was bringing 
with her, he would be rescued out of their hands ! 


3 2 6 


MISTRESS £ RANI CAN. 


While Burker was thinking over the possibility of such 
an issue, Jane saw his brow darken, his eyes become blood- 
shot, a sinister look spread over his features like the reflec- 
tion of his inner thought. She felt frightened ; a presenti- 
ment of some imminent calamity took possession of her 
and, as her husband turned his glance upon her, she well- 
nigh fainted. 

The unfortunate woman had understood what was going 
on in his crime-hardened soul. 

As a matter of fact, Len Burker was then thinking to him- 
self that, should John and Dolly meet, it would mean the 
ruin of his future prospects. They would sooner or later 
find out Godfrey’s identity. His wife would let the secret 
escape her if he did not put it out of her power to do so ; 
and yet Jane’s life was necessary to his plans ; for at Mrs. 
Branican’s death her fortune could not come into his hands 
save through her cousin Jane. 

So then Jane should be separated from Dolly, and as to 
himself, he should push on to the Indas and do away with 
John Branican before the caravan arrived. 

For so determined and so callous a man as Len Burker, 
this was but too feasible, and an unexpected circumstance 
would presently render it more so. 

On that day, at four in the afternoon, Tom Marix gave 
the signal to start and the party set off again in the usual 
order. Past fatigues were forgotten. Dolly had inspired 
her companions with the energy which animated her. They 
were nearing the goal — success was no longer doubted — the 
blacks even appeared in better humor, and perhaps Marix 
could have relied on their help to the end, if Len Burker 
had not been there to breathe the spirit of treachery and 
mutiny into them. 

The caravan, now going at fair speed, had almost fallen 
back into Colonel Warburton’s track. However, the heat 
had increased, and the nights were stifling. Over this 



“ On Foot ! on Foot !” cried Marix (/. 330). 


) 



SYMPTOMS. 


327 


desert plain, without a single tree, no shade could be found 
but at the foot of the downs, and the sun’s rays fell so per- 
pendicularly that this was reduced almost to nothing. 

Nor indeed was the heat the greatest of their torments ; 
worse still was the lack of water. Wells had to be looked 
for at great distances, and this lengthened the journey by 
hundreds of detours. Most part of the time it was the 
ever-willing Godfrey, or the indefatigable Tom Marix, who 
volunteered their services. Mrs. Branican never saw them 
going off without a pang at heart. But no storm could be 
hoped for now. On the clear expanse of the sky, from one 
horizon to another, not a vestige of a cloud was to be seen. 
From the earth alone could water come now. 

Whenever Marix or Godfrey would discover a well, the 
caravan wended its way in that direction. The animals 
were hurried on, everyone quickened step under the goad of 
thirst, and what did they find in most cases ? A muddy 
liquid, lying at the bottom of a well swarming with rats. 
Although the men of the escort did not hesitate to drink it, 
Dolly, Jane, Godfrey, Zach Fren and Ten Burker were 
prudent enough to wait until Marix had cleaned out the 
well and extracted a somewhat less impure water from the 
sands underneath. Then only did they satisfy their thirst 
and collect the supply which was to last them until the next 
well was reached. 

Such was their mode of proceeding for the following 
week — from the 10th to the 17th of March — without any 
other mishaps, but with a daily increase of fatigue which 
could hardly be borne much longer. The condition of the 
two sick men had in no way improved ; on the contrary 
there was fear of their fever terminating fatally. Tom 
Marix, now short of five camels, hardly knew how to pro- 
'vide for the carrying of the baggage. 

The leader of the expedition began to feel extremely 
uneasy, and Mrs. Branican was not less so than he, although 


32 8 


MISTRESS ERA MICA M. 


she did not allow it to be perceived in her look. The first 
to set out and the last to stop, she gave an example of the 
most extraordinary courage, coupled with a hopefulness 
that nothing could shake. 

And what would she not have willingly endured so as to 
avoid these incessant delays, so as to shorten this intermi- 
nable journey ? 

One day she asked Marix why he did not make straight 
for the upper part of the Fitz Roy. 

“ I have thought of that,” he answered, “ but it is always 
the question of water that prevents me, Mrs. Branican. 
By going in the direction of Joanna Spring, we are sure of 
coming across a certain number of wells, those that Colonel 
Warburton has placed on record.” 

“ Are there none on the northern territory ? ” asked 
Dolly. 

“There may be, but you see I am not sure of it,” an- 
swered Tom. “And, besides, we must consider that those 
wells, if there be any, may be dried up by this time, whereas 
by continuing in a westerly direction we are sure of reach- 
ing the Okaover River, where Colonel Warburton encamped. 
Now, this Okaover is a running stream, and there we will 
be enabled to take in a full supply before reaching the Fitz 
Roy valley.” 

“ Very well, Tom,” replied Mrs. Branican, “ since it must 
be so, let us push on to Joanna Spring.” 

This was done, and the fatigues of this part of the jour- 
ney exceeded any as yet endured by our tried travelers. 
Although the summer season was now in its third month, 
the temperature still remained stationary at an average of 
forty degrees Centigrade in the shade, and this means in 
the shade of night. The wayfarers could scarcely breathe 
the stifling atmosphere. The wells did not contain suffi- 
cient water for all of them. Ten miles were barely covered 
in the length of a day. The men on foot no longer walked, 



Godfrey held Dolly by the Hand ( p . 33 0 



























I 














































































SYMPTOMS. 


329 


they dragged themselves along. The attentions incessantly 
given the two invalids by Dolly, Jane, and Harriet, weak as 
they were themselves, afforded them no relief. It would 
have been advisable for their sake to halt, to camp in some 
village, and take a long rest, until the heat should have 
lessened. But no such thing was possible. 

During the afternoon of March 17, two more pack-camels 
died, one of which had carried the presents intended for 
the Indas. Marix was obliged to transfer their load 
to a couple of saddle-camels — which necessitated putting 
more of his men on foot. The brave fellows did not com- 
plain, and accepted this additional fatigue without a word. 
How different with the blacks, who were always grumbling 
and were so serious a cause of anxiety to their leader. 
Was it not to be apprehended that some day they would 
desert the caravan, perhaps after pillaging it ? 

At length, on the evening of March 19, the caravan 
halted five miles from Joanna Spring, near a well, the 
water of which had sunk six feet into the sand. It had 
been impossible to proceed one step further that day. 

The atmosphere was exceptionally heavy. The blast of 
a red-hot furnace is not more burning than the air they 
inhaled. That spotless blue sky, similar to that which 
is noticed in certain Mediterranean districts at the ap- 
proach of a mistral, had a strange and threatening appear- 
ance. 

Tom Marix observed this state of things with a feeling 
of uneasiness that did not escape Zach Fren. 

“ There’s something coming, eh, friend ? Something you 
don’t care for, either ? 

“ Yes, Zach,” was the reply. “ Nothing short of a 
simoon ! ” 

“ Well, that’s only a squall, eh ? and it’ll bring water, I 
guess?” said the sailor. 

“ Not at all, Zach, it will bring a more frightful drought 


330 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


than ever ; and, in the middle of Australia, I can’t tell you 
what it might not bring ! ” 

Such words from a man of Tom’s experience were of a 
nature to appall Mrs. Branican and her companions. 

Every precaution was at once taken in view of this 
“squall,” as Fren had termed it. It was nine o’clock in 
the evening. The tents had not been pitched — an un- 
necessary trouble during these stifling nights. After 
satisfying their thirst, all mechanically took the rations 
which Tom Marix had just served out, but scarcely any of 
them thought of tasting the food. What was wanted was 
fresh air ; the stomach suffered less than the respiratory 
organs. A few hours’ sleep would have done these poor 
people more good than a few mouthfuls of food. But how 
was it possible to sleep in an atmosphere so hot that one 
would have imagined it had been rarefied ? 

Up to midnight nothing abnormal happened. Tom 
Marix, Fren, and Godfrey watched in turn.' Every now 
and then one of them would get up to observe the horizon 
toward the north. This horizon was of a sinister bright- 
ness. The moon, which had set at the same time as the sun, 
had just disappeared behind the hills to the west. Hun- 
dreds of stars sparkled around the Southern Cross, which 
illuminates the Antarctic pole. 

About three hours past midnight all this brightness van- 
ished. A sudden obscurity enveloped the plain from one 
horizon to the other. 

“ On foot ! On foot ! ” cried Tom Marix. 

“ What is it ? ” asked Mrs. Branican, who had imme- 
diately sprung to her feet. 

Near her, Jane, Harriet, Godfrey, and Zach Fren were 
trying to recognize each other in this darkness. The 
animals, stretched on the ground, raised their heads, at the 
same time bellowing themselves hoarse with fright. 


SYMPTOMS. 331 

m 

“What is the meaning of all this?” again asked Mrs. 
Branican. 

“ The simoon ! ” simply answered Tom Marix. 

And these were the last words that could be heard. The 
air was suddenly filled with such a tumult that the ear was 
as incapable of hearing a sound as was the eye of catching 
a glimmer in the midst of the obscurity. 

It was, as Marix had said, the simoon, one of those sud- 
den hurricanes that ravage vast tracts of the Australian 
deserts. A huge cloud had risen in the south and lowered 
over the plain — a cloud not of sand alone, but of the hot 
embers that it had swept up from the calcined districts it 
had traversed. 

Around the encampment, the mounds, heaving to and 
fro like the billows of the sea, broke up not into a briny 
spray, but into an impalpable sand ; all this was blinding, 
deafening, and suffocating. It seemed as though the whole 
plain would be leveled down by the mighty blast on its sur- 
face. Had the tents been raised there would not have been 
a shred of them left. 

All felt the irresistible torrent of air and sand whizzing 
over them with the hiss of a discharge of musketry. God- 
frey held Dolly with both hands, determined not to be 
separated from her, should this formidable assault carry off 
the caravan to the north. 

This indeed was actually happening, and no resistance 
was possible. 

For one hour — one hour which was sufficient to alter the 
whole aspect of the country — Mrs. Branican and her com- 
panions, including the two sick men, were driven over a 
distance of four or five miles, scrambling to their feet only 
to be knocked down again, sometimes turned round and 
round, like pieces of straw in the middle of a whirlwind. 
They could neither see nor hear each other, they might 


332 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


never see each other again. In this way they reached the 
neighborhood of Joanna Spring, on the banks of the Oka- 
over Creek just as the light of dawning day burst through 
the last cloud of the simoon. 

Did everybody muster at roll-call ? 

Alas, Mrs. Branican, her maid Harriet, Godfrey, Jos 
Merrit, Gin-Ghi, Zach Fren, Tom Marix, his white followers, 
were all there, along with four saddle-camels. But the 
natives were not in sight ! Gone, too, the twenty other 
camels, and among them those that carried the provisions 
and Captain John’s ransom ! 

And when Dolly called aloud for Jane, Jane did not reply. 

Len and Jane Burker had also disappeared. 


CHAPTER XII. 

LAST EFFORTS. 

T HIS disappearance of the natives and the camels placed 
Mrs. Branican and those who had remained faithful to 
her in a desperate position. 

“There was a traitor in the crew,” was the word first ut- 
tered by Zach Fren — and afterward heartily re-echoed by 
Godfrey. And treachery was but too evident under the 
circumstances. 

Such also was Tom Marix’s opinion, who was well aware of 
the fatal influence exercised over the natives by Len Burker. 

Dolly alone would fain still give the missing ones the 
benefit of the doubt. She could not believe in the existence 
of such duplicity and infamy ! 

“ May not Burker have been carried off as we were ? ” 

“ Carried off, just the very way the niggers went,” said 
Zach bitterly, “just the same point of the compass as the 
camels bumped off our provisions, too ! ” 


LAST EFFORTS . 333 

“ And my poor Jane,” murmured Dolly, “torn from my 
side without my knowing it ! ” 

“ That Len Burker wouldn’t even leave her with you,” 
continued Zach. “ The wretch ! ” 

“A wretch? Right! That’s quite right!” added Jos 
Merritt. “ If all this is not a plot, may I never lay my hand 
on the historical hat for which ” 

Then turning to his servant : 

“ What do you think of that, Gin-Ghi ? ” 

“ Aiya, Master Jos ! I think I would have done a thou- 
sand, yes ten thousand times better if I had never set my 
foot in such an uncomfortable country.” 

“ You might ! ” was the reply. 

The scandalous plot was so self-evident that Mrs. Brani- 
can was obliged to credit it. 

“But why have deceived me so?” she asked herself. 
“ What have I done to Len Burker ? Had I not forgotten 
the past ? Did I not receive them as a sister would, both 
his unfortunate wife and himself? and he betrays us, leaves 
us without provisions, and steals away from me the price 

of my poor John’s liberty ! Oh, why should he 

do so ? ” 

Nobody knew Len Burker’s secret, so no one could an- 
swer her. Jane alone would have been able to say what 
she knew of her husband’s wretched plans, and Jane was no 
longer there. 

It was but too true, however ; Len Burker had just put 
into execution a long-meditated scheme, a scheme which 
seemed to have every chance of success. Under the prom- 
ise of a liberal reward the native followers had been easily 
brought over to his views. In the middle of the storm, 
while two of the blacks carried Jane off without her being 
able to make herself heard, the others had driven the camels 
northward. 

No one had perceived them in that night of darkness, 


334 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


made denser still by the clouds of dust ; and, before light 
had dawned, Len Burker and his accomplices were already 
several miles east of Joanna Spring. 

Jane being now away from Dolly, her husband was no 
longer afraid that, tormented by remorse, she might reveal 
the secret of Godfrey’s birth. Besides there was every 
reason to believe that, without food or means of transport, 
Mrs. Branican and her party would perish among the wilds 
of the Great Sandy Desert. 

And in truth at Joanna Spring the caravan was still nearly 
300 miles from the Fitz Roy River. During the time it would 
take to cover this long distance, how would Tom Marix 
support his party, reduced though it now was in number ? 

Okaover is one of the principal affluents of the River 
Grey, which throws itself through one of its estuaries, in 
Witt Land, into the Indian Ocean. 

On the banks of this river, the waters of which are never 
dried up by the heat, Marix found those shady oases of 
which Colonel Warburton spoke with such joy. 

What a happy change this verdure and running water, 
from the interminable sandy plains and spinifex-covered 
mounds ! At the same time, if, when he reached this 
point, the colonel was assured of success, since he had 
only then to follow the creek as far as the Rockbonne 
settlement on the coast, it was not so with Mrs. Branican. 
Her situation, on the contrary, would only grow worse on 
her way through the arid regions that separate the Okaover 
from the Fitz Roy River. 

The caravan was now composed of only twenty-two 
persons out of the forty-three who had started from Alice 
Spring: Dolly, her servant Harriet, Zach Fren, Tom 
Marix, Godfrey, Jos Merritt, Gin-Ghi and with them the 
fifteen men of the escort, two of whom were so seriously 
ill. For mounts four camels only, the others having been 
carried off by Len fiurker, including the male leader of the 



They have been Poisoned ” (/. 341 















































































































LAST EFFORTS. 


335 


herd, and the one that carried. the kibitka. The animal 
whose qualities were so much appreciated by Jos Merritt 
had also disappeared— which obliged the Englishman to 
travel on foot as well as his servant. In the way of food 
there remained but a few tins of preserves luckily dis- 
covered in a box which had fallen from one of the camels. 
No flour, coffee, tea, sugar or salt ; no more spirits or any 
of the contents of the medicine-chest ; and how could 
Dolly now care for the two sick men devoured with fever? 
It was the most absolute destitution in the middle of a 
country without any resource. 

At the first gleam of day, Mrs. Branican gathered her 
little band together. The plucky woman had lost none of 
her truly superhuman energy, and with her inspiriting 
words she managed to revive the courage of her com- 
panions.- The goal was now so near; they should not 
give way. 

That goal, the most confident of the men could not have 
hoped to reach under present circumstances ; yet the pain- 
ful tramp was resumed. The sick men had been given two 
of the four camels, for they could not have been left at 
Joanna Spring, it being one of the uninhabited stations dis- 
covered by Colonel Warburton along his itinerary. But 
would these poor men have sufficient strength to support 
the journey to Fitz Roy, whence it would be possible to 
send them to some place on the coast? It was doubtful, 
and Mrs. Branican’s heart sank at the idea of two more 
victims on the point of being added to those already made 
by the Franklin disaster. 

And yet Dolly would not give up her endeavors ! No ! 
She would not postpone her search ! Nothing would pre- 
vent her doing her duty — were she to be left alone ! 

On leaving the right bank of the Okaover Creek, which 
they forded one mile above Joanna Spring, they took a north- 
eastern direction. By doing so Marix hoped to meet the 


336 


MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 


Fitz Roy, at the nearest pqint of the irregular bend it de- 
scribes before wending its course toward the King’s Gulf. 

The heat was more bearable. The greatest entreaties, — 
almost an absolute order, — had been needed on the part of 
Marix and Fren to induce Dolly to ride one of the camels. 
Godfrey and Zach still kept up a good pace. Jos Merritt 
followed them closely, his long stiff legs reminding one of 
a pair of stilts. And when Mrs. Branican pressed her 
mount on him he declined the offer. 

“That’s right! That’s quite right!” he said. “But 
an Englishman is an Englishman, you see, madam ; a 
Chinaman is only a Chinaman ; and I see no objection to 
your making the offer to Gin-Ghi. Only, I forbid him to 
accept it ! ” 

Accordingly Gin-Ghi continued on foot, not without re- 
criminating however, as he thought of the far-distant pleas- 
ures of Sco-Tcheou, the city of the flowery gondolas, the 
adored town of the Celestials. 

The fourth camel was mostly used either by Tom Marix 
or Godfrey for reconnoitering ahead of the- party. The 
supply of water procured at Okaover Creek would not hold 
out very long and then the terrible question of drink would 
once more stare them in the face. 

On leaving the creek, a northerly direction was taken 
across a slightly undulated plain stretching out as far as the 
eye could see. Here the clumps of spinifex were not so 
thinly scattered, and various shrubs on which autumn had 
left her yellow tinge gave the district a less monotonous 
aspect. Perhaps by good luck some game might rise from 
among them. Marix, Godfrey, and Fren, who never parted, 
with their arms, had thus been able to save their rifles and 
revolvers ; and if the opportunity presented itself they 
would make good use of them, although their scanty sup- 
ply of ammunition should, of course, be used sparingly. 

For several days, a little headway was made in this man- 




Captain John was attacked by the Natives (/. 344 ) 




LAST EFFORTS. 


337 


ner : a short stage in the morning, another in the evening. 
Nothing in the bed of the creeks in this territory but calci- 
nated pebbles and weeds discolored with the heat. The 
sand did not show the least sign of humidity. It was 
therefore necessary to find out wells, to find out at least 
one every twenty-four hours, for there were no casks now 
in which to keep a supply. 

And so Godfrey would be off, now to the right and then 
to the left of the caravan, as soon as he thought himself on 
the right track. 

“ My boy,” Mrs. Branican would say to him, “ do not do 
anything imprudent ! Do not expose yourself.” 

“ Who would expose himself for you, ma’am, and Cap- 
tain John, if I did not ? ” the noble lad would reply. 

Thanks to his self-denying perseverance as well as to a 
kind of instinct that guided his steps, he did discover a few 
wells, sometimes several miles out of their way north or 
south. 

If therefore the tortures of thirst were not now absolutely 
unfelt, they were not excessive, at least in this portion of 
Tasmania lying between Okaover*Creek and the Fitz Roy 
river. The crowning of their fatigues was the insufficiency 
of their means of transport and the scarcity of food, which 
was now reduced to a few remnants of preserves, the want 
of tea and coffee, the privation of tobacco so painful tu the 
escort men, and the utter impossibility of adding a few 
drops of alcohol to the brackish water they drank. The 
bravest of them would stagger and fall with weariness, ex- 
haustion, and misery after two hours’ struggling onward. 

The animals, too, scarcely picked up anything to eat in 
the middle of this waste, where no green stalk or leaf could 
keep alive. No more of those dwarf acacias, the somewhat 
nutritive gum of which is sought after by the natives in 
times of famine. Nothing but the thorns of the dried-up 
mimosas mixed up with the tufts of spinifex. The poor 


33 ^ 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


beasts, with outstretched necks and yielding limbs, dragged 
their feet along the ground, fell on their knees, and with 
great difficulty were made to stand up again. 

During the afternoon of the 25th, Marix, Godfrey, and 
Fren were able to procure a little fresh food ; a number of 
wild pigeons passed over them in flocks. Very swift birds, 
especially when pursued, they were no easy game to bring 
down ; a few of them were shot, however, and needless to 
remark that, had they not been as excellent as they really 
were, the famishing party would have considered them the 
most delicious food. They were roasted before a fire 
of dried roots, and for the following two days Marix was 
enabled to economize his provisions. 

But what fed the men was not sufficient to feed the ani- 
mals. And, as a consequence, on the morning of the 26th 
one of the camels which carried the sick men fell heavily 
to the ground. It should be abandoned, for it was too 
weak to rise to its feet again. 

To Tom Marix fell the task of ending its sufferings with 
a shot in the head. Then, so as not to lose any of the flesh, 
which represented several days’ food, although the poor 
thing had become greatly emaciated through hunger, he 
began cutting it up after the Australian style. 

Tom was not unaware that every part of the camel may 
be used as food. From the bones and a part of the skin, 
that were boiled in the only receptacle he now possessed, 
he obtained a soup which proved a great treat to the starv- 
ing people. The brain, tongue, and cheeks of the animal, 
when properly prepared, furnish a more substantial meal. 

The flesh cut into thin strips, and quickly dried in the 
sun, were preserved, along with the feet, which are the 
choicest part of the animal. It was regrettable they had 
no salt, for there would have been less difficulty in keeping 
the meat had it been salted. 

A few miles a day were covered for two or three days 


LAST EFFORTS. 


339 


more. Meanwhile the state of the two invalids was grow- 
ing worse, not, surely, through neglect but through want of 
medicine. It was evident that all would not reach the spot 
toward which they made such strenuous efforts : that Fitz- 
Roy River, where their miseries would in a certain measure 
be lessened ! 

And as a matter of fact the two men expired, one on 
March 28, and the other the following day. They were 
born in Adelaide, one of them was scarcely twenty-five years 
old, the other about forty ; and death overcame them both 
on this journey across the Australian desert. 

Poor fellows 1 they were the first to succumb in this ex- 
pedition, and their companions were greatly affected. Was 
not this the fate that awaited them all, abandoned as they 
were, through Len Burker's treachery, in the middle of those 
regions on which even an animal could not find his sus- 
tenance. 

And what could Zach Fren reply when Marix said to 
him : 

“Two men dead to save one, not to mention those who 
are yet to fall ! ” 

Mrs. Branican gave full vent to her grief, a grief shared 
by all. She prayed for those two victims, and their grave 
was marked by a little cross, which the severity of the cli- 
mate was likely to soon crumble to dust. 

After which the caravan proceeded on its way. 

Mrs. Branican positively refused to keep one of the three 
remaining camels for her own use, and they were all ridden 
by the more exhausted of the men one after another, so as 
not to delay the little progress that was made. The scout- 
ing for wells still devolved on Godfrey or Marix during the 
halts, for not a single native was met with from whom they 
could have procured information. This seemed to imply 
that the tribes had gone off toward the northeast of Tas- 
mania, in which case the Indas would have to be followed 


346 


MISTRESS BRANlCAtf. 


to the very end of the Fitz Roy Valley — an unfortunate 
circumstance, since the journey would thereby be lengthened 
by some hundred miles. 

From the beginning of April Marix noticed that his 
supply of provisions was nearing its end. One of the three 
camels should, of necessity, be sacrificed. A few days’ 
food thus assured would no doubt enable them to reach 
the Fitz Roy, from which they should now be no farther 
than twelve or fifteen of their stages. 

This sacrifice being indispensable, they should resign 
themselves to it. The animal that appeared less fit for 
work was selected. It was killed and cut up into long 
strips. The favorite tidbits, not forgetting the heart and 
the liver, were carefully preserved as before. 

Now and again Godfrey was able to shoot several 
pigeons — a small “bagful” it must be confessed, when 
the feeding of twenty persons was in question. Marix 
noticed too that the acacias began to reappear on the plain, 
and their seeds, previously roasted on a fire, were also used 
as food. 

Yes ! It was high time they should reach the Fitz Roy, 
to find there the resources that would have been sought for 
in vain in this forlorn country. But should it take a few 
days more to get to the river, most of these poor people 
would not have strength enough to reach it. 

On the 5th of April there was positively no more food 
left, neither preserves nor camel flesh. A handful of acacia 
seeds was all that remained to Mrs. Branican and her com- 
panions. 

In truth Tom Marix hesitated before killing the two sur- 
viving camels. When he thought of the distance they had 
yet to travel, he could not bring himself to sacrifice them. 
It should be done, however, and that very night, for no- 
body had eaten anything for fifteen hours. 


LAST EFFORTS. 341 

But just at camping-time, one of his men ran up to him 
shouting : 

“ Marix ! Tom ! the two camels have just fallen.” 

“ Try and get them up.” 

“ We can’t.” 

“ Then kill them immediately.” 

“ Kill them ? ” cried the other. “ Why, they are dying, 
if they are not dead already ! ” 

“ Dead ! ” cried Marix. 

And he could not refrain from a gesture of despair ; for 
if they were dead their flesh would be unfit for use. 

Followed by Mrs. Branican, Fren, Godfrey, and Jos 
Merritt, Marix hurried to the spot where the two camels 
had just dropped. 

There, lying helplessly on the ground, they struggled in 
convulsions, their mouths frothing, their muscles contracted, 
their chests heaving painfully for breath. They were dying, 
and, obviously, dying an unnatural death. 

“ What has happened them ? ” asked Dolly. “ That can- 
not be mere fatigue or exhaustion.” 

“No,” answered Marix, “ I am afraid it is the effect of 
some poisonous weed ! ” 

“ That’s right ! That’s quite right ! I know what it 
is !” ejaculated Jos Merritt. “ I’ve seen that before in the 
eastern provinces in Queensland ! These camels have been 
poisoned.” 

“Poisoned?” repeated Dolly 

“ That’s so,” said Marix ; “it is indeed poison ! ” 

“Well now,” continued the Englishman, “since we have 
no other resource, we must take example from the cannibals 
rather than die of hunger ! What can be done ? Every 
country has its customs, you know ; and at Rome you must 
do as the Romans do ! ” 

He said this with such a sting of irony that, what with 


342 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


his eyes dilated by hunger, and his wan face thinner than it 
had ever been, he was frightful to behold. 

So then the last two camels were poisoned. And this 
poisoning — Jos Merritt was not mistaken — was due to a 
kind of nettle, fortunately rather uncommon on these north- 
western plains ; it is the “ moroides lasportea ” which bears 
a raspberry-looking fruit and the leaves of which are lined 
with sharp prickles. Their mere contact causes great and 
lasting pain, and the fruit proves fatal if its effect is not 
immediately counteracted by the juice of the “colocasia 
macrorhiza,” another plant which generally grows on the 
same soil as the poisonous nettle. 

The instinct which usually makes animals turn away from 
injurious substances had, on this occasion, been overcome 
by a stronger sensation : the poor brutes had been incapa- 
ble of resisting the cravings of hunger, and had just paid 
the terrible penalty. 

What happened during the next two days neither Mrs. 
Branican nor any of her companions could remember. The 
two dead animals could not be touched, for in an hour’s 
time they were in a state of complete decomposition, so 
swift is the effect of this vegetable poison. Then the cara- 
van dragged along toward the Fitz Roy Valley, trying to 
ascertain its location by the undulating of the ground. 
Would they all be able to reach it? There were those 
among them who begged to be killed there and then, so as 
to be relieved from their horrible agony. 

Mrs. Branican went from one to the other. She en- 
deavored to revive them. She besought them to make one 
last effort. The end was not far off — just a little farther. 
There, near yonder horizon, it would be all over. But 
what could she obtain from the poor moribunds ? 

On the evening of April 8, no one had strength enough 
to see about pitching a camp. The exhausted creatures 
crawled along the ground to gnaw the dusty leaves of the 


AMONG THE INDAS. 


343 


spinifex. They were unable to utter a word, unable to 
move any further. All sank, utterly exhausted, at this last 
halting-place. 

Mrs. Branican alone kept to her feet. Crouching by her 
side, Godfrey clung to her with a last longing look. 
“ Mother ! mother ! ” he would whisper, even as a child 
calling on her who gave him birth not to let death carry 
him away. 

And Dolly standing in the midst of her fallen com- 
panions, wildly searched the horizon, crying “ John ! 
John ! ” 

As though the last help could come from Captain John. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

AMONG THE INDAS. 

T HE Indas tribe, composed of several hundred natives, 
men, women, and children, were at this time camping 
on the banks of the Fitz Roy, about 140 miles from its 
mouth. These natives had just returned from the upper 
part of the river and during the past few days their wan- 
derings had brought them within twenty-five miles of that 
portion of the Great Sandy Desert where the caravan had 
just halted for the last time after a succession of trials 
which were beyond human endurance. 

It was with these Indas that Captain John and his mate 
Harry Felton had lived for nine years. The following 
events, along with the account given by Felton on his death- 
bed, will suffice to make known what happened during that 
long period. 

Between the years 1875 and 1881, it has not been for- 
gotten, the crew of the Franklin had made their tempo- 
rary home on Browse Island in the Indian Ocean, about 


344 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


250 miles from York Sound. Two of the sailors having 
perished during the storm, the survivors, twelve in number, 
had lived on this island for six years, without any means of 
escape, when a drifting boat was cast upon the shore. 

Captain John, anxious to use it as a means of escape, 
had it repaired as best it could be, and provisioned it for a 
voyage of some weeks’ duration. But as the little skiff 
could hold but seven persons, Captain John, Harry Felton, 
and five men embarked in it, leaving the five others on 
Browse Island, with a promise to send a boat to their 
rescue. We know how tl^ese unfortunate men died ere 
any assistance could reach them, and in what conditions 
Captain Ellis found their remains at the time of the Dolly s 
Hope's second voyage in 1883. 

After a stormy passage across those dangerous parts of 
the Indian Ocean, the boat sighted land off Cape Leveque 
and at last entered the gulf into which the Fitz Roy flows. 

But, as ill luck would have it, Captain John was attacked 
by the natives and lost four of his men while he and they 
vainly endeavored to save themselves from being captured. 

The natives, who belonged to the Indas tribe, carried off 
the captain, Felton, and the only remaining sailor, into the 
interior. The sailor, however, had received a wound 
which was to prove fatal. Some few weeks later John 
Branican and Harry Felton were the only survivors of the 
seven who had landed. 

Then commenced for them a life which, at its very start, 
was seriously threatened. We have already said that the 
Indas, as well as all the tribes of North Australia, whether 
nomadic or sedentary, are cruel and bloodthirsty. The 
prisoners they take in their incessant inter-tribal warfare 
are mercilessly slain and devoured. No custom has a 
greater hold on these aborigines, these wild beasts as they 
may be called. 





Kept in sight Day and Night (/. 346). 


























1 1 
































































AMONG THE IN DAS. 345 

Why were Captain John and his first mate spared ? To 
circumstances alone was this due. 

The inter-tribal warfare we have just mentioned is per- 
petuated from generation to generation. Among the 
sedentary tribes one village attacks another. They ruin 
each other and regale themselves on the prisoners they 
have made. ' With the nomads the same practices hold ; 
they harass each other from encampment to encampment 
and victory always ends in horrible scenes of cannibalism. 
Indeed it may be looked upon as a foregone conclusion 
that these slaughters would of themselves inevitably result 
in the destruction of the Australian race, even though they 
were not seconded in this nefarious work by the proceed- 
ings of Anglo-Saxon policy — stamped though these have 
been, under certain circumstances, with shameful barbarity. 

In this last connection the hatred of the Australian 
native for his British conqueror in general has been but 
too fully justified by individual cruelty. Hence it is rare 
indeed that any white man who falls into their hands 
should not be slaughtered without mercy. Why then had 
the survivors of the Franklin been spared by the Indas? 

Very probably, had not the sailor died shortly after being 
made a prisoner, he would have shared the common fate. 
But the chief of the tribe, a potentate named Willi, in his 
previous transactions with the settlers along the coast, had 
become sufficiently familiar with the habits and customs of 
white men to feel convinced at first sight that John and 
Harry were two officers, a fact from which he might derive 
a twofold advantage. As a warrior — if this may be used 
in the sense of a “ warring individual” — Willi could turn 
their strategetical talents to account in his encounters with 
rival tribes ; as a trader who knew a thing or two about his 
business, he foresaw a lucrative affair, in other words a 
good round ransom for the two prisoners he had made. 


346 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Their life was accordingly spared, but they needs had to 
submit to the exigencies of the nomads’ mode of existence, 
which was all the more painful to them as the Indas sub- 
jected them to an unceasing supervision. Kept in sight 
day and night, never allowed to go outside the camp lines, 
they had vainly attempted to escape on two or three occa- 
sions, each time at the risk of their lives. 

Meanwhile, whenever their captors were on the eve of 
an engagement, they had been compelled to give them the 
benefit of their advice at least ; advice which proved truly 
valuable and which Willi appreciated the more as he was 
henceforth sure of victory. As a matter of fact the tribe 
had by this time become one of the most powerful through- 
out the territories of Western Australia. 

These northwestern tribes probably belong to a mixed 
race of Australians and Papuans. Like the latter the Indas 
wear their hair long and curly ; their complexion is less 
dark than that of the natives of the southern provinces, 
who seem to belong to a more muscular stock ; their height 
too is inferior. The men are physically better constituted 
than the women ; their forehead is somewhat retreating, but 
their eyebrows are prominent, which, according to ethnol- 
ogists, is a sign of intellectual power ; the pupil of their eye 
is full of fire, while the iris is very dark ; their hair, of a 
very brown shade, is not woolly like that of the African 
negro ; still their cranium is not largely developed and 
nature seems to have but sparingly supplied them with 
brain matter. They are called blacks, although they are 
not of a Nubian black ; indeed chocolate-colored would best 
describe the shade of their general complexion. 

No hunting-dog has a keener scent tlpan the Australian 
black. He recognizes the track of a human being or of an 
animal by merely sniffing the ground or even smelling the 
grass and the shrubs. His acoustic nerve, too, is so exceed- 
ingly sensitive that he can perceive — so it is said — the 







With no other help than a “ Kamin ” (/. 347) 


AMONG THE INNAS. 


347 


noise made by a swarm of ants working in their nests under 
the ground. As to placing these aborigines in the natural 
order of climbers, such a classification would be anything but 
inaccurate, for they will climb any gum tree, however high 
or smooth-barked, with no other help than a twig of flexible 
rattan, which they call “ kamin,” and thanks also to a slightly 
prehensile conformation of their toes. 

As we have already remarked in the case of the natives 
of the Finke River the Australian woman ages quickly and 
hardly ever reaches her fortieth year, an age which the men 
generally exceed by half a score of years in certain parts of 
Queensland. 

On these wretched creatures devolves all that is laborious 
and tiresome in connection with the household ; they are 
slaves subjected to masters of pitiless severity ; tlieir work 
it is to carry burdens, utensils or weapons, to look for edible 
roots, for the lizards, the worms, and the snakes which con- 
stitute the usual food of the tribe. If we make special men- 
tion of them right here, it is to have the opportunity of re- 
cording that they bestow loving care on their children, 
while the fathers are animated with very different feelings 
toward, them, seeing that a child is an encumbrance for the 
mother who, while looking after him, can no longer attend 
exclusively to those requirements of the daily life of the 
tribe which depend upon her. Indeed, in times of famine, 
it is quite usual to see the poor little beings devoured by 
their parents in certain tribes where cannibalism still reigns 
supreme. 

The truth is that with the Australian ^lack — a being 
scarcely worthy to be included in the human species — life 
is concentrated in one single act. “ Ammeri,” “Ammeri” is 
a word that recurs continually in the native language, and 
it means “ hunger.” The most frequent gesture among 
them consists in their stroking their stomachs, for their 
stomachs are but too often empty. Living in countries void 


348 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


of game or cereal products, they eat whenever an opportu- 
nity presents itself, at any time of the night or of the day, 
and always with the thought of a subsequent period of fast- 
ing. And, all things considered, what can these aborigines, 
— assuredly the most wretched of any scattered over the 
face of the world — live on ? On a sort of coarsely made 
cake named “ damper,” kneaded without barm, and baked, 
not in an oven but under burning embers ; on honey, 
which they are sometimes enabled to gather by felling the 
tree on the summit of which a swarm of bees may have con- 
structed their hive ; on that “ kadjerah,” a kind of white 
porridge obtained by the crushing of the fruit of the poison- 
ous palm tree, subsequent to its being made less injurious 
by a delicate manipulation ; on the eggs of jungle hens, 
which they find buried in the soil, if the heat has not already 
hatched them before they discover them, or on those pigeons, 
peculiar to Australia, which hang their nests at the very tip 
of the branches of trees. To these we may add certain 
kinds of larvae, some of which they collect among the 
branches of the acacias, while they unearth others from the 
layer of woody matter in a state of decomposition which 
covers the ground in the dense portions of the forests ; and 
that is all. 

Need we wonder if, in such a struggle for life, canni- 
balism displays itself in its most hideous forms ? It is no 
longer the visible expression of a naturally ferocious tem- 
perament ; it is the consequence of an imperative want, 
and it has no other alternative but death. Hence the hor- 
rors it leads to are hardly fit to be recounted. 

On the lower Murray valley, among the northern tribes, 
it is customary to slay the children for food, and, inciden- 
tally, to cut off one phalanx from the mother’s fingers at 
every child taken from her for this purpose. 

At the same time, it must be confessed that hunger is 
not the only motive which urges the Australian to cannibal- 




Life among the Natives (/. 348) 








AMONG THE IN DAS. 


349 


ism : he has a decided taste for human flesh, which he calls 
“talgoro,” a word meaning “ the flesh that speaks” in his 
frightfully realistic language. 

He does not indulge this taste on the grown-up people 
of his own "tribe, but his incessant expeditions “ abroad ” 
have no other object than that of procuring talgoro, both 
for immediate use and for preserving. Dr. Carl Lumholtz 
relates that, during the whole of his journey through the 
northeastern provinces, the blacks of his escort had no 
other subject of conversation than this everlasting question 
of food. “ Nothing like human flesh for an Australian,” he 
often heard them say. Nor did they allude to white men’s 
flesh when speaking thus, for it has (it would seem) a salty 
after-taste which is unpleasant to their refined palate. 

One more factor there is at work, urging these tribes to 
mutual destruction. The Australians are very credulous. 
They are afraid of the voice of the “ Krin’gan,” an evil 
spirit which scours the country, and haunts in preference the 
gorges of mountainous districts — although this voice is no 
other than the melancholy cry of a beautiful bird, one of 
the most curious in Australian ornithology. Still, although 
they seem to believe in the existence of a superior and 
maleficent being, no traveler has ever known them to utter 
a prayer or ever seen among them the least vestige of re- 
ligious practices. 

Their superstition, however, leads them to the firm belief 
that their foe may suceeed in killing them by witchcraft, 
and accordingly they are forever on the qui vive to prevent 
his doing so by slaying him at the first opportunity. 

We may note, by the way, that they show great respect 
for their dead. They will not allow them to lie in contact 
with the ground, but wrap the corpses in bundles of leaves 
and strips of bark, and usually lay them in shallow graves 
with their feet toward the east, unless (as is tl^e case with 
certain tribes) they bury them standing upright. 


35 ° 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


The grave of a chief is, in addition, covered over with a 
hut, the door of which also looks to the east. 

Let us add that, among the less savage tribes, travelers 
have found this belief, that the dead are to come to life 
again in the shape of a white man, so much so that, accord- 
ing to Lumholtz, there is but one word in their language for 
“ spirit ” and “ white man.” And according to another 
superstition, — a singular instance of metempsychosis back- 
ward, — the animals of the field were human beings once 
upon a time. 

Such are those tribes, of the Australian continent, doubt- 
less fated to disappear some day, even as the inhabitants of 
Tasmania have disappeared. Such were the Indas, into 
whose power John Branican and Harry Felton had fallen. 

After the death of their fellow-prisoner, they had fol- 
lowed their captors in their never-ending peregrinations 
through the center and the northwest. Now attacking hos- 
tile tribes, now repelling the attacks of others, the Indas 
gradually obtained an incontestable superiority over their 
enemies, thanks to the counsels of their captives. Hun- 
dreds of miles were thus traveled over, from King’s Gulf 
to Van Dieman’s Bay, between the Fitz Roy and Victoria 
valleys, and as far as the plains of Alexandra Land. And 
in this way John and his companion went through regions 
yet unknown to geographers and still left in blank on mod- 
ern maps, in the east of Tasmania, of Arnheim, and of the 
Great Sandy Desert. 

Excessively painful as these tramps proved to the 
prisoners, they seemed of no concern to the Indas. It has 
grown into their nature to live thus, without taking heed of 
distance, or even of time, of which they have but a vague 
idea. Indeed, when speaking of an event which is to hap- 
pen in, say five or six months, a native will sa^, in good 
faith, that it will take place in two days, or in three days, 
or next week. His age he does not know ; the time of day 


AMOJVG THE INDAS. 


351 


he has no idea of. He seems to occupy a place exclusively 
his own in the scale of the animal kingdom — even as do 
certain quadrupeds of his country. 

To these ways and manners John and Harry had to get 
accustomed. The toils of this incessant roving they had to 
undergo. That food we have spoken of, sometimes so in- 
sufficient and always so repulsive, they had to be content 
with. And this, not to speak of those horrible scenes of 
cannibalism which they never succeeded in preventing 
when hundreds of foes lay on the battlefield. 

While thus submitting to such a life, the captain and his 
mate were fully determined to attempt an escape as soon as 
their very submissiveness had caused their captors to relax 
their vigilance. And yet the dangers of a flight through 
the deserts of the northwest may be surmised from what 
we have said concerning Felton. 

Meanwhile, however, they were watched so closely that, 
for nine long years, they were unable to avail themselves of 
any chance of escape that might offer itself. At last on one 
occasion — the very year previous to Mrs. Branican’s voyage 
to Australia— it seemed as though they might carry out 
their intention. And it happened in the following manner: 

A series of encounters with the tribes of the interior had 
brought the Indas on the banks of Lake Amedee, to the 
southwest of Alexandra Land. It was a rare occurrence 
for them to be so far inland. Captain John and Harry 
Felton, knowing that they were only about 300 miles from 
the Overland Telegraph Line, thought the opportunity a 
favorable one and decided to make the most of it. After 
due reflection, it seemed advisable that they should make 
their escape separately, and meet afterward a few miles 
from the camp. After managing to outwit his jailors, 
Felton had succeeded in reaching the place where he was 
to wait for his companion. Unfortunately John was 
called upon to attend on Willi, who required his services 


352 


MISTRESS BRANICAN . 


for a wound which he had received in their last battle. He 
found it impossible, therefore, to get out of sight, and 
Felton waited for him in vain for several days, when, with 
the thought of reaching some station in the interior or on 
the coast, and organizing a rescue party, the faithful mate 
started off alone toward the southeast. But such were the 
fatigues, privations, and miseries he endured, that four 
months after his departure he fell dying on the bank of the 
Parru, in the district of Ulakarara, New South Wales. 
Brought to the hospital at Sydney, he had lingered for several 
weeks, and ultimately died, as we know, after acquainting 
Mrs. Branican with Captain John’s whereabouts. 

It was a hard blow to John to be deprived of his com- 
panion, and he needed a moral energy equal to his physical 
strength not to give way to despair. To whom would he 
speak now of all that was so dear to him, of his country, of 
San Diego, of the beloved beings he had left there, of his 
wife, of his son Wat who was growing up far away from 
him, and whom he might never see again, of William 
Andrew, of all his friends, in a word? John had been a 
prisoner with the Indas for nine years already, and how 
many more years would come and go before he regained 
his liberty ? Still, he did not lose hope, being sustained by 
the thought that, should Felton ever reach any of the towns 
on the coast, he would do everything a man could do to 
rescue his captain. 

During the first period of his captivity, John learned the 
native language, which, by the logic of its grammar, the 
preciseness of its terms, and its delicate expressions, would 
seem to imply that a time was when the indigenous Aus- 
tralian possessed a certain degree of civilization. In this 
way he had been able to explain to Willi how it would be 
to his advantage to allow his prisoners to return to Queens- 
land or to South Australia, whence they could send him 
any ransom he would demand. But very suspicious by 


AMONG THE /NBAS. 


353 


nature, Willi turned a deaf ear to all such proposals. If 
the ransom came he would set Captain John and his mate 
free. As to" relying on their promises, he probably judged 
of others according to his own standard, and .accordingly 
declined to do so. 

Indeed Felton’s escape, which greatly irritated him, ren- 
dered the chief still more severe with Captain John. He 
was forbidden to go and come by himself during the halts 
or while on the march ; and he had to endure the continual 
surveillance of a native whose very life depended on his 
watchfulness. 

Long months dragged on and the prisoner heard nothing 
of his companion. Was it not probable that Felton had 
fallen on the way ? Had the fugitive been able to reach 
Queensland or Adelaide, would he not ere this have made 
an effort to release the luckless prisoner? 

During the first three months of the year 1891, that is 
at the beginning of the Australian summer, the tribe had 
moved to the Fitz Roy Valley, where Willi usually spent 
the warmer part of the season, and in which he found the 
necessary resources for his tribe. 

They were still there at the beginning of April, having 
pitched their camp on a spot at an elbow of the river where 
a little affluent from the northern plains emptied itself. 

Since the tribe had settled there, Captain John, who was 
quite aware of the proximity of the coast, had thought of 
making his way to it. If he succeeded, he might perhaps 
be able to take refuge in some of the settlements situated 
more to the south, where Colonel Warburton had ended his 
travels. 

He had made up his mind to risk everything, life itself, to 
put an end to the hateful existence he led. 

Unfortunately, a change in the plans of the tribe anni- 
hilated the hopes the prisoner had conceived. For, in the 
latter part of April, it became evident that Willi was pre- 


354 


MISTRESS ERA MICA N. 


paring to start off, so as to shift his winter camp higher up 
the river. 

What had happened, and to what cause should he attrib- 
ute this change in the customs of the tribe ? He succeeded 
in ascertaining it, though not without great difficulty : if 
the tribe was about following the river higher up to the 
east, it was because the native police had been signaled on 
the lower portion of the Fitz Roy. 

Nor has the reader forgotten the order issued to the police 
to search the northwestern territories as soon as Harry Fel- 
ton’s information concerning Captain John became known 
to the authorities. 

The men engaged on this force are the terror of the 
natives, and display a zeal beyond conception when sent in 
pursuit of them. They are led by a captain, called the 
“ Mani,” having under him a sergeant, about thirty white 
men and eighty blacks, all mounted on good horses and 
armed with rifles, swords, and revolvers. This institution, 
known as the “ native police,” is sufficient to insure the 
safety of the settlers in the districts visited by them at 
different times. Their merciless retaliations may be blamed 
by some in the name of humanity, but are approved by others 
in the name of justice. They travel with incredible rapidity 
from one part of the territory to the other. Hence it is that 
the nomad tribes dread to meet them at anytime ; and that 
is why Willi, having learnt that they were in the neighbor- 
hood, was getting ready to go higher up the Fitz Roy. 

Bu‘t what meant danger for the Indas might mean liberty 
for Captain John. If he could but reach a detachment of 
this police, he was saved ! And perhaps, while his people 
were busy raising their camp, he might k find the means of 
escaping from them. 

Did Willi suspect the plans his prisoner was making? It 
seemed as though he did ; for, on the morning of the 20th 
of April, the door of the hut which was John’s prison did 


V 


LEN BURNER’S LITTLE GAME. 355 

not open at the usual hour. A native was mounting guard 
outside. To the captive’s questions no answer was given, 
and when he asked to be brought before Willi, his request 
was flatly refused. Nor did the chief himself come round 
to see his prisoner. 

What could have happened ? Were the Indas making 
all haste to get away from this spot? It was probable, for 
John could hear the noise of much going and coming 
around his hut. 

A whole day passed by, then another. No change had 
been made in his situation. The prisoner was still closely 
watched. But, during the night of the 22d to the 23d of 
April, the noises outside ceased, and he began wondering 
whether the main body of the Indas had positively left the 
Fitz-Roy encampment. 

The next day at daybreak, the door of his hut suddenly 
opened. 

A man — a white — stood before him. 

It was Len Burker. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

% 

LEN BURKER’S LITTLE GAME. 

I T was thirty-four days since Len Burker had broken 
away from Mrs. Branican and her companions on the 
night of the 22d and 23d of March. That simoon, so fatal 
to the latter, had given him the means of putting his plans 
into execution. Carrying off Jane among them, he and the 
blacks of the escort drove before them the stronger camels, 
one of which, as we said, was the bearer of Captain John’s 
ransom. - 

Len Burker was in more favorable conditions than Dolly 
to overtake the Indas in the Fitz Roy Valley. Already 




35 6 


MISTRESS BRA NIC A AT. 


during his wandering life he had frequently been in com- 
munication with the Australian nomads, with whose cus- 
toms and language he was well acquainted. The stolen 
ransom would assure him a welcome from Willi ; Captain 
John, thus rescued, would be in his power, and this time 

After abandoning the caravan, Len Burker hastened 
toward the northwest, and by daylight he and his accomplices 
were several miles away. 

Jane implored and besought her husband not to leave 
Dol-ly and her companions in the middle of this desert, re- 
minded him that this was adding another crime to that 
committed at Godfrey’s birth, prayed him to redeem his 
atrocious conduct by restoring the child to his mother, and 
by joining his efforts to hers in trying to find Captain John. 

She could obtain nothing from him. It was all in vain. 
It was in no human being’s power to thwart Len Burker in 
his purpose. A few days more and he would have suc- 
ceeded. Dolly and Godfrey having died through privation 
and misery, John Branican being thought lost, the Starter 
inheritance would pass into Jane’s hands, and, with these 
millions, he would know what to do ! 

Nothing could be expected from this brute. He im- 
posed silence on his wife, who gave way to his threats, 
knowing very well that had he no need to get possession 
of Dolly’s fortune he would have abandoned her, too, long 
ago, or perhaps have done worse yet. As to escaping and 
trying to rejoin the caravan, how could she think of it ? 
Alone, what would have become of her ! Besides, two of 
the blacks kept watch over her incessantly. 

No need to recount the events of Burker’s journey. He 
was well supplied with animals and provisions, his men, 
hardened to this sort of life, had been less fatigued than 
the whites since their departure from Adelaide ; and in 
such conditions they made rapid progress. 

Seventeen days later, on April 8, Burker reached the 


LEN BURNER'S LITTLE GAME. 


357 


left bank of the Fitz Roy River, the very same day that 
Mrs. Branicanand her companions fell exhausted at their 
last halting-place. 

Here Burker met some natives from whom he ascertained 
the whereabouts of the Indas. Learning that the tribe had 
moved to the west of the valley, he determined to turn 
back in that direction, in the hope of putting himself in 
communication with Willi as quickly as possible. 

His course was now clear of all obstacles. During this 
month of April, in Western Australia, despite the low latitude 
in which it lies, the climate is less excessive. It was evident 
that should Mrs. Branican’s caravan have reached the Fitz 
Roy, its troubles would have been over. A few days 
later, they would have been with the Indas, for scarcely 
eighty-five miles separated John and Dolly from each 
other. 

When Burker had acquired the certainty that he was 
within two or three days’ march of the tribe, he ordered a 
halt. Taking Jane with him to the Indas, placing her of 
necessity in John’s presence, and running the risk of her be- 
traying him would hardly suit his designs. An encamp- 
ment was accordingly made by his orders on the left bank 
of the river, and there, in spite of her prayers and entreaties, 
the unfortunate woman was left under guard of the two 
blacks. 

This being done Len Burker, followed by his companions, 
continued westward, with the saddle-camels and the two 
animals that carried the prisoner’s ransom. 

It was on April 20th that he came up with the tribe, at 
the time when the Indas were made very uneasy by the prox- 
imity of the native police, who had been reported to him as 
being about ten miles away. Indeed Willi was already pre- 
paring to raise the camp, so as to seek refuge in the higher 
regions of Arnheim Land in North Australia. 

Just then, by order of the chief and with a view to thwart 


358 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


any attempt at escape, John was shut up in his hut ; and thus 
he was fated to hear nothing of Len Burker’s transactions 
with the chief of the tribe. 

These transactions presented no difficulty. Burker had 
already had dealings with these natives. He was ac- 
quainted with their chief and openly told him the object of 
his present visit. 

Willi was quite willing to give up his prisoner in exchange 
for a ransom. The show Burker displayed before him of 
the cloth stuff and knickknacks, and more especially of the 
tobacco, made a good impression upon him. Still, like a 
shrewd trader, he dwelt on his reluctance to part with such 
an important man as Captain John, who had been living 
among them for so long, and who had rendered him real 
services, etc., etc. Besides he knew that his prisoner was 
American ; indeed he was aware that an expedition had 
been organized to search for him — a fact that Burker con- 
firmed by saying that he himself was the head of this ex- 
pedition. Then when the latter heard of Willi’s anxiety 
about the native police, he turned this circumstance to 
account by urging him to come to terms without delay. 
As a matter of fact, in Burker’s qwn interest, it was of im- 
portance that Captain John’s rescue be kept secret, and if 
he got the Indas away there was every possibility of his 
dark deeds remaining undiscovered. The final disappear- 
ance of John Branican could never be imputed to him, if his 
colored companions kept silent, and he would find the 
means to prevent their talking. 

Willi eventually accepting the ransom, the bargain was 
closed on April 22d. That very evening the Indas left their 
camp and started up the Fitz Roy River. 

That is what Len Burker had done, that is how he had 
attained his end. We shall now see to what use he was 
going to turn his present situation. 

It was near eight o’clock on the morning of the 23d, as 



I 



The Display made a good Impression on the Chief (/. 358), 






































» 




























































































































































♦ 
































LEN BURNER'S LITTLE GAME. 359 

we have said, when the door of John’s hut opened and he 
found himself face to face with Len Burker. 

Fourteen years had rolled by since the day the captain 
had shaken hands with him for the last time when the 
Franklin had sailed from San Diego. He did not recognize 
him, but Len Burker was struck with the relatively little 
change noticeable in John. He had aged no doubt — he 
was then forty-three — But less than would have been 
imagined after so long a stay among the natives ; he had 
still the same sharply drawn features, the same old fire in 
his determined look ; his hair, though now gray, was as 
luxuriant as of yore. Still full of health and strength, John 
perhaps would have better endured the fatigues incidental 
to a flight across the deserts than Harry Felton, for whom 
they had proved too severe a trial. 

On seeing Burker, Captain John retreated a step or two. 
It was the first time he had seen a white man since he had 
been made prisoner by the Indas. It was the first time 
that he was about to be spoken to by a stranger. 

“ Who are you ? ” he asked. 

“ An American from San Diego.” 

“ From San Diego ? ” 

“ I am Len Burker.” 

“ You ? ” 

Captain John ran to him and took both his hands in his. 
What ! This man Len Burker ! No ! It was impossible ! 
It was a mistake. He had misunderstood him. He must 
be dreaming. Len Burker — Jane’s husband ? 

And for the moment, John little thought of the aversion 
he once felt for Burker, for this man whom he had so justly 
suspected ! 

“ Len Burker ! ” he repeated. 

“ Myself, John.” 

“ Here, in these parts ! Alas ! So you, too, Len, have 
been made prisoner ? ” 


MISTRESS BRAN1CAN. 


36° 

How could John otherwise explain his presence among 
the Indas. 

“ Not at all,” quickly answered Burker. “ No, John, I 
am here solely to ransom you from this tribe — to rescue 
you.” 

“ To rescue me ! ” 

The captain had to strain his every nerve to control him- 
self. He fancied he felt as if he was on the point of going 
mad, as if his reason were leaving him. 

At last, when he recovered self-possession, he would fain 
rush out of the hut. He dared not do so. Len Burker had 
spoken of his rescue ; but was he really free ? What about 
Willi ? About the Indas ? 

“ Speak, Len, tell me everything ! ” said he, folding his 
arms across his breast as though to prevent his heart from 
bursting. 

Then Burker, according to the plan he had formed of only 
saying what would be to his advantage and giving himself 
all the credit of this expedition, was about to give his version 
of the story when John gasped, in a voice choking with 
emotion : 

“ Dolly ? Dolly ? ” 

“ She is still alive, John.” 

“ And Wat — my son ? ” 

“ Alive, too — both of them well — at San Diego.” 

“ My wife — my child ! ” murmured John, his eyes full of 
tears. 

Then he added : 

“ Now you can tell me anything, Len ; I can bear every- 
thing now ! ” 

And Burker, carrying his effrontery to the length of look- 
ing him in the face as he spoke, began : 

“A few years ago, John, when no one could any longer 
doubt the fate of the Franklin, my wife and I had to leave 
San Diego and America. Important business called me to 


LEN BURNER'S LITTLE GAME. 3 61 

Australia and I came to Sydney, where I had founded an 
agency. After our departure, Jane and Dolly never ceased 
corresponding together ; you know the affection they had 
for each other, an affection that neither years nor distance 
could ever alter.” 

“ Yes, I know ! ” said John. “ Dolly and Jane were two 
great friends, and it must have been a cruel separation for 
them ! ” 

“ Very cruel, John,” continued Burker, “ but after a few 
years the day came when they would soon meet again. 
About eleven months ago we were preparing to leave Aus- 
tralia and return to San Diego, when an unexpected piece of 
news made us leave aside all thought of setting out. The 
fate of the Franklin had just been ascertained, as well as 
the locality of the catastrophe ; and, at the same time, the 
rumor spread that the only . survivor of the wreck was a 
prisoner with some Australian tribe ; that it was you, John.” 

“But how was that known, Len ? Did Felton ” 

“Yes, this intelligence had been given by Harry Felton. 
Almost at the end of his journey, your companion was 
picked up on the banks of the Parru, in the south of 
Queensland, and brought to Sydney.” 

“ Harry, my brave Harry ! ” cried the captain. “ I 
knew he would not forget me ! Then, of course, as soon 
as he got to Sydney he organized an expedition.” 

“ He died,” said Burker ; “died from the fatigues he had 
sustained ! ” 

“ He died ! ” moaned John. “ Good God ! Felton dead ! ” 

And a flood of tears burst from his eyes. 

“ But before dying,” continued the other, “ he was able 
to relate the events that had followed the loss of the Fratik- 
lin on the rocks of Browse Island and how you reached the 
west of the continent. It was at his bedside that I myself 
learnt .all this from his dying lips. After which he expired, 
John, murmuring your name,” 


362 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ Harry, my poor friend ! ” sighed John, at the thought of 
the fearful miseries that had crushed the faithful com- 
panion he would never see again. 

“John,” went on Burker, “the loss of the Franklin , of 
which we had been without news for fourteen years, had 
caused considerable excitement. And you may guess the 
effect which was now produced by the announcement that 
you were alive. Harry Felton had left you, a few months 
previously, in the hands of a northern tribe. I immediately 
sent a telegram to Dolly, telling her that I was about to set 
out to rescue you from the Indas, as it should only be a 
question of a ransom from what Felton had said. Then, as 
soon as I had organized a caravan, of which I took com- 
mand, Jane and I left Sydney. This was seven months ago. 
Yes, it has taken us that time to reach the Fitz Roy ! But 
at last, with God’s help, we did arrive.” 

“ Thank you, Len ; thank you ! ” exclaimed Captain John; 
“ what you have done for me ” 

“ You would have done for me under the same circum- 
stances,” said Burker. 

“ Be sure o*f it ! And your wife, Len, that plucky Jane, 
who was not afraid to face so many dangers, where is she ? ” 

. “ Three days’ journey up the river, with two of my men.” 

“ I will be able to see her soon, then ! ” 

“ Yes, John ; and if she is not here now, it is because I 
did not want her to come with me, not knowing how I 
should be received by the natives.” 

“ But you did not come alone ? ” asked John. 

“ Oh, no, I have my escort with me ; just a dozen blacks. 
We reached the valley two days ago.” 

“ Two days ? ” 

“Yes, and I spent them concluding my bargain with 
Willie. He was very unwilling to let you go, my dear 
fellow. He knew your importance, or rather your value. 


LEN BURNER'S LITTLE GAME. 363 

I had to use a good deal of persuasion before he would 
agree to take a ransom for you.” 

“ So then I am free ? ” 

“ As free as I am.” 

“ And the natives ?” 

“ They are gone, and their chief, too ; we are the only 
people here.” 

“ Gone ? ” cried John. 

“ See for yourself ! ” 

In one bound the captain was out of the hut. 

The Indas were no longer there ; there remained but the 
few blacks of Burker’s escort, standing near the river. 

It is easy to see how truth and falsehood were mingled 
in Len Burker’s tale. Of Dolly’s fit of insanity he had said 
nothing ; nor yet of the wealth that had become hers by 
Edward Starter’s death. Not a word either had he spoken 
of the search undertaken by the Dolly's Hope through the 
Philippine Seas and the Torres Strait in 1879 and 1882. 
No hint had he given of Mrs. Branican’s interview with 
Harry Felton on his death-bed ; or o£ the expedition or- 
ganized by the noble woman whom he had abandoned in 
the middle of the Great Sandy Desert — an expedition for 
which he claimed sole credit. He it was who had done 
everything; he it was who had rescued Captain John at the 
peril of his life. 

And how could John have suspected the veracity of this 
story ? How could he refrain from pouring forth his grati- 
tude to the man who amid so many dangers had just torn 
him away from the Indas and was about restoring him to 
his wife and his child ? 

And he did do so in such terms as would have melted a 
less hardened heart. But Burker’s conscience was proof 
against remorse, and nothing would hinder him from 
carrying out to the end the criminal projects he had medi- 


3 6 4 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


tated. Now John would hasten to follow him to the en- 
campment where Jane was awaiting them, — why should he 
hesitate ? — and during the journey the wretch would find 
an opportunity to do away with him without being sus- 
pected by the blacks of his escort, who subsequently could 
not, even if they would, bear testimony against him. 

In compliance with the rescued prisoner’s natural desire, 
it was agreed that they should start the very same day. 
He was indeed longing to see Jane once more, his wife’s 
faithful friend ; to speak to her of Dolly, of their child, of 
Mr. Andrew, and of all those awaiting him at San Diego. 

And accordingly they set out in the afternoon of the 
23d of April. Len had provisions for a few days, and 
meanwhile the Fitz Roy River would supply the water 
necessary to the little party. The camels ridden by John 
and himself would enable them to get a few stages ahead 
of their escort ; and this would facilitate the accomplish- 
ment of his designs. Captain John should not by any 
means reach the encampment, and he would not reach it. 

At eight o’clock frhey halted for the night on the left 
bank of the river. The end of their journey was still too 
far distant to allow Burker to push on by himself, ahead of 
his men, through a region in which untoward encounters 
are always to be dreaded ; and hence the little caravan 
was at its full when the tramp was resumed on the following 
morning. 

The day was filled up by two stages, interrupted by a 
halt of two hours’ duration ; still it proved a toilsome day ; 
it was not always an easy task to follow the course of the 
Fitz Roy River, whose banks were at times cut with deep 
creeks and in other places rendered impassable by inextric- 
able groves of gum trees and eucalypti ; this necessitated 
many a long detour ; and no sooner was the evening meal 
over than the exhausted black men fell into a heavy sleep. 

iV few minutes later Captain John himself gave way not 







“See for Yourself” (/. 363). 


\ 






































✓ 




































































































RETRIBUTION. 


365 


so much to a sense of fatigue as to the far mightier influence 
of the emotions he had experienced within the last twenty- 
four hours. 

This might prove a favorable opportunity for Len Bur- 
ker ; for he, wretched man, was not asleep. Striking John, 
dragging his corpse just a few paces, hurling it into the river 
— the very circumstances seemed to combine to make all 
this easy of execution. The next morning a pretense of a 
search would be made for Captain John and all would be over. 

About two in the morning Burker, rising without noise, 
crawled toward his victim, a dagger in his hand, and was 
about striking him when John awoke. 

“ I thought I heard you calling me,” said the wretch. 

“No, Len, old friend,” answered John. “Just as I 
awoke I was dreaming of my poor Dolly and our boy.” 

A few hours later they continued their journey along the 
Fitz Roy River. 

During the midday halt Burker, determined to bring 
matters to a close, as they were to reach the encampment 
that same night, proposed to John that they should start on, 
ahead of their foot companions. 

John readily assented and both were about riding off 
when one of the blacks pointed to a white man coming 
toward them at a distance of a few hundred paces, evidently 
approaching with great caution. 

A cry escaped from Burker’s lips. 

He had recognized Godfrey. 


CHAPTER XV. 

RETRIBUTION. 

B LINDLY drawn by a kind of instinct, almost uncon- 
scious of what he was doing, Captain John had rushed 
toward the lad. 


3 66 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


Len stood motionless as though his feet were riveted to 
the ground. 

What ! Godfrey there, before his eyes ! Godfrey, their 
child ! Dolly’s party must have survived, then. They 
must be close by, a few miles away, a few hundred yards 
perhaps, unless indeed Godfrey alone should have escaped 
the fate that the wretch had prepared for them. 

However that might be, this unexpected meeting might 
destroy all his plans. If the lad spoke, he would say that 
Mrs. Branican was at the head of the rescuing party, that 
she had confronted a thousand dangers and untold fatigues 
to save her husband, that she was there, coming up the 
river in search of him. 

And all this was a fact. 

We know that on the 8th of April the little party, so 
heartlessly betrayed, had sunk to the ground exhausted for 
want of food, tortured by thirst, half dead. 

Mrs. Branican’s entreaties, the example of her own in- 
credible fortitude had failed to revive their last remnant of 
energy ; she might as well have tried to spur so many 
corpses onward ; Godfrey himself had lost consciousness. 

But the soul of the whole undertaking was still alive in 
Dolly ; and she did what her companions could no longer 
do. It was toward the northwest they had turned their 
faltering steps, to the northwest Marix and Fren were point- 
ing their trembling hands ; in this direction Dolly madly set 
forth by herself. 

In this wild waste stretching toward the west as far as 
the eye could reach, without provisions or means of trans- 
port of any kind, what did the brave woman hope to do ? 
Did she intend to make for the Fitz Roy River, to seek help 
either among the white settlers along the coast or among 
the native nomads ? She hardly knew, but on and on she 
went, and in three days covered some twenty miles. At last 
however her strength betrayed her, she too fell exhausted 


RETRIBUTION. 


367 


in her turn and she never would have risen again had not 
assistance reached her — providentially, it may truly be said. 

At this time the black police was patrolling on the edge 
of the Great Sandy Desert ; and, having left some thirty of 
his men on the bank of the river, the chief officer, or Mani, 
had come to reconnoiter this part of the province with sixty 
subordinates. 

It was in the course of this reconnoissance that they 
came upon Mrs. Brariican. With the first word she uttered 
on returning to consciousness she told them of her com- 
panions ; with all possible speed they hastened to the spot 
she indicated and succeeded in restoring the poor fellows. 
It was time they had come ; twenty-four hours later not 
one of them woifld have been found alive. 

Tom Marix, who had made the Mani’s acquaintance in 
Queensland, gave him an account of what had taken place 
since they had left Adelaide. The latter seemed to have 
heard of Mrs. Branican’s personal endeavors in search of 
her husband on the continent of Australia, and since Prov- 
idence had placed her on his way he offered to accompany 
her. 

In answer to Tom’s inquiries the Mani stated that the 
Indas were then on the banks of the Fitz Roy River within 
sixty miles from the spot where they had met. 

Nor was this officer unacquainted with Len Burker, whom 
he had once been commissioned to track at a time when he 
levied blackmail throughout Queensland with a band of 
bushrangers. 

His provisions and his services, as well as those of his 
companions, were placed at Mrs. Branican’s disposal. They 
all set off together on that same evening ; and in the after- 
noon of the 2 1 st of April they reached the 17th parallel. 

Here the Mani found the men he had left in surveillance 
by the riverside and heard from them that the Indas were 
about moving their camp higher up the river, 


368 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


It was all-important to overtake them as quickly as pos- 
sible, although Mrs. Branican had nothing now that she 
could give in exchange for her husband’s liberty. As to 
that, the Mani, now at the head of his full brigade and aided 
by Tom Marix and his party, would not hesitate to use vio- 
lence, if needs were, to rescue John from the Indas. Ac- 
cordingly, the caravan pushed on briskly and on the 25th of 
April, Godfrey, whose ardor carried him on half a mile 
ahead, found himself suddenly face to face with Captain 
John. 

Meanwhile Burker was slowly recovering from his surprise, 
and stared at Godfrey without saying a word, waiting to see 
what the lad would do or say. 

Godfrey did not even notice him. HiS eyes could not 
turn away from the captain. Although he had never seen 
him he knew his features well from the photograph Mrs. 
Branican had given him. There was no doubt of it, the man 
standing before him was Captain Branican. 

John, on his part, looked at Godfrey with no less emotion. 
Although he could not guess who this young boy was, he 
devoured him with his eyes. He held out his hand to him. 
He called to him in a trembling voice, yes, he called to him 
as though he had been his child. 

“Captain John!” exclaimed Godfrey, rushing into his 
arms. 

“Yes, it is I,” answered the captain, “ and you, my boy, 
who are you ? Where do you come from ? How do you 
know my name ? ” 

Godfrey could not reply. He had become as pale as 
death on perceiving Len Burker, and was unable to over- 
come the feeling of horror he experienced at the sight. 

“ What ! Len Burker ? ” he cried. 

Burker, on considering the consequence of this meeting, 
thought he could not but congratulate himself on his good 
luck. Was it notan almost incredible piece of good fortune 


RE TR1B UTION. 3 6 9 

that he should have Godfrey and John, the father and the 
child, both in his power ? 

“ Len Burker ! ” repeated Godfrey. 

“ Yes, my child,” answered John, “ that is Len Burker, 
the man who saved me.” 

“ Saved you ? ” cried Godfrey. “ No, Captain John, no ! 
Len Burker never saved you ; he tried hard to ruin you. 
He abandoned us and ran away from us, stealing your 
ransom from Mrs. Branican.” 

At this word John uttered a cry and caught Godfrey by 
the hand. 

“What ! Dolly ! My Dolly?” he repeated. 

“ Yes, Mrs. Branican, Captain John, your wife ; and she’ll 
be here presently ! ” 

“What? Dolly ?” said John once more. 

“That boy is mad !” observed Burker, drawing toward 
Godfrey. 

“Yes — mad,” murmured the captain. “The poor boy 
must be mad ! ” 

“ Len Burker,” Godfrey called out, trembling with passion, 
“you’re a traitor, you are a murderer; and you, Captain 
John, don’t be mistaken, if that murderer is here now, it 
is because he wanted to get rid of you after leav- 
ing Mrs. Branican and her companions to starve in the 
desert ! ” 

“Dolly! Dolly!” gasped Captain John. “No, you’re 
not mad, my boy, I believe you ! come along, come ! ” 

On a sign from Burker the men rushed on both of them. 

Godfrey taking a revolver from his belt, shot one of the 
blacks in the heart, but the next moment Captain John and 
himself were overpowered and dragged in the direction of 
the river. 

Fortunately Godfrey’s shot had been heard ; it was 
answered by shouts a few hundred paces away, and almost 
immediately the Mani and his agents, Tom Marix and his 


N 


370 MISTRESS BRA NIC AN. 

companions, Mrs. Branican, Zach Fren, Jos Merritt and 
Gin-Ghi were seen rushing to the spot. 

Len Burker and his men were not in sufficient force to 
resist the newcomers, and a moment later John was in 
Dolly’s arms. 

Len Burker’s game was up. Should he be captured, he 
had no mercy to expect ; and accordingly he took to flight, 
followed by his colored attendants. 

Immediately the Mani, Zach Fren, Tom Marix, Jos 
Merritt, and a dozen agents were on his footsteps. 

How were it possible to depict the feelings, to express 
the emotion with which Dolly’s heart and John’s were over- 
flowing ? They wept with happiness and Godfrey shared 
in their embraces, their kisses, and their tears. 

So much happiness told upon Dolly more than all her 
trials had been able to do. Her strength broke down, and 
she fell unconscious. 

Godfrey, kneeling by her side, aided Harriet in her en- 
deavors to revive her mistress. Was she now going to lose 
through an excess of joy that reason of which she had once 
already been bereft through an excess of grief? John was 
of course unaware of her former illness, and went on repeat- 
ing, “ Dolly ! Dolly ! ” 

Godfrey, clutching her hands in his, called out, “ Mother ! 
Mother ! ” 

Her eyes opened at last and she grasped John by the 
hand. He on his part held out his other arm to Godfrey, 
saying : 

“ Come, Wat ! Come, my son ! ” 

Dolly could not leave him under that illusion and allow 
him to believe that Godfrey was his child. 

“ No, John,” said she, “ No — Godfrey is not our son, 
and our poor little Wat was taken from us a short time after 
you went away.” 






















The next moment he was Overpowered ( p . 369). 


RE TRIB UTION. 3 7 1 

“Wat dead!” exclaimed John, his eyes riveted the 
while on Godfrey. 

Dolly was about telling him the misfortune that had be- 
fallen them fifteen years before when the report of a gun 
was heard in the direction followed by the Mani and his 
companions in their pursuit of Burker. 

Can it be the wretch had paid the penalty of his mis- 
deeds, or was this a new crime that Burker had had time to 
commit ? 

Almost immediately the whole party reappeared on the 
bank of the Fitz Roy. Two of them were carrying a 
woman, whose blood flowed from a large wound and 
reddened the ground as they went. 

It was Jane. 

This is what had happened : 

Len Burker, having a start on his pursuers, was already a 
few hundred paces away from them when he suddenly per- 
ceived Jane, and stopped short. 

On the previous day she had succeeded in escaping from 
her guardians and had been, since then, following the 
course of the river. She had reached within a quarter of a 
mile of the spot where John and Godfrey had met, when 
the plucky lad fired on their cowardly assailants. On hear- 
ing the shot, she had quickened her steps and soon found 
herself face to face with her husband, who was fleeing in 
this direction. 

At the thought that Jane would make her way to Dolly 
and would reveal to her the secret of Godfrey’s birth, 
Burker’s passion knew no bounds. He caught her by the 
arm and endeavored to drag her along with him ; and as 
the poor creature resisted, he laid her low with a stab of 
his dagger. 

At the same moment a gun-shot was heard, immediately 
followed by the remark — now, if ever, uttered in the right 
time and place : 


372 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


“ That’s right ! That’s quite right ! ” 

It was Jos Merritt, who had composedly taken aim at the 
murderer and had had the satisfaction of seeing him stagger 
helplessly down the bank of the river. 

The wretched man’s end had come. Jos Merritt’s bullet 
had struck him dead. 

Tom Marix rushed toward Jane, who was still breathing 
but very feebly, and helped the men to bring her over to 
Mrs. Branican. 

On seeing Jane in such a state, Dolly uttered a heart- 
rending cry. She leaned over her dying cousin and list- 
ened for the beating of her heart and watched for the 
breath exhaled from her lips. But Jane’s wound was 
deadly. Her husband’s dagger had gone through her 
lungs. 

“ Jane ! Jane ! ” she called aloud. 

At the sound of this voice which recalled to her the hap- 
piest moments she had ever known, Jane half raised her 
eyelids, looked at Dolly and smiled, murmuring “ Dolly, 
dear Dolly ! ” 

Suddenly her eye brightened up, she had just perceived 
Captain John. 

“John! You, John!” she said, but so low that her 
voice could scarcely be heard. 

“ Yes, Jane,” replied the captain, “ it is I ; Doily has 
found me at last.” 

“She has found you, John ! ” she murmured. 

“Yes, Jane,” said Dolly, “he is with us now; he will 
never leave us again. We shall bring him home, you and I.” 

Jane did not seem to hear. Her eyes wandered as though 
in search of some one, and her lips faintly whispered “ God- 
frey ? Godfrey ? ” and a look of anguish darkened her 
features, already distorted by the throes, of her agony. 

Dolly beckoned Godfrey to draw nearer. 


RETRIBUTION. 373 

“ Oh, at last ! ” gasped the dying woman, making a su- 
preme effort to sit up. 

“ Come here, Dolly,” she added in a lower tone, “ come 
here, John. I have something yet to say to you.” 

Both leaned over her so as not to lose one of her words. 

“John — Dolly,” she murmured; “that lad Godfrey, 
there, is your chtfd.” 

“ Our child ! ” repeated Dolly tremblingly. And she be- 
came as pale as the dying creature before them. 

“ We have no child now,” said John. “ He is gone.” 

“Yes,” replied Jane, “little Wat — in the harbor of San 
Diego. But you had a second child — and that is God- 
frey.” 

Then in a few sentences, interrupted by the hiccough of 
death, Jane had strength enough to reveal to them what 
had taken place at Prospect House during the year that 
followed John’s departure ; how poor unconscious Dolly 
had given birth to a second child ; how the little babe had 
been left in the street by Burker’s order and had been 
picked up, as the reader knows. 

And she added : 

“ If I have been guilty in not having the courage to tell 
you all before this, do forgive me now, Dolly ; forgive me, 
John.” 

“ What need have you of forgiveness, Jane, when you 
have restored our child to us ? ” 

“ Yes, your child,” repeated Jane. “ Before God I swear 
it, John — Dolly — Godfrey is your child.” 

And as both lovingly pressed Godfrey in their arms, a 
smile of happiness spread over the dying woman’s coun- 
tenance, and with a sigh of relief she peacefully passed 
away. 


374 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

THE DENOUEMENT. 

W E need hardly dwell upon the closing incidents of this 
tragic campaign across the continent of Australia, or 
on the very different conditions in which the homeward 
journey was accomplished. 

The first question taken into consideration was whether 
the party should follow the Fitz Roy River down to some 
coast station, — Rockbonne, for instance, — or push toward 
Prince Frederick Harbor in York Sund. In either case, a 
considerable time should elapse before a ship could be dis- 
patched for them ; and so it seemed advisable to return by 
the route already traveled. Escorted by the black police, 
abundantly supplied with provisions by the Mani, and once 
more in possession of the camels stolen by Burker, the 
travelers need fear no untoward accident. 

Before they took their departure, Jane Burker’s body was 
laid to rest at the foot of a clump of gum trees. Dolly knelt 
by her grave and prayed for the soul of the ill-fated woman. 

At last, on the 25th of April, Captain John, his wife, and 
his rescuers left the Fitz Roy River, under the guidance of 
the Mani, who had offered to accompany them to the nearest 
station on the Overland Telegraph Line. 

So happy did they all feel that the fatigues of the journey 
passed by unnoticed ; and ZaCh Fren, in his joy, would re- 
peat to Marix : 

“ Well, Torn, we did find the captain after all ! ” 

“ Aye, aye, Zach, thanks to what ? ” 

“ Thanks to the mighty old jerk at the helm, given just 
in the nick of time by Providence. I .guess nothing beats 
that, mate.” 

There was one, however, whose horizon was still marred 
with one little black speck. 



‘ ‘ T HAT 


Lad is your Child ” 


(/• 373 )- 

















































































* 





/ 





THE DENOUEMENT. 


375 


Mrs. Branicanhad found her husband ; but Jos Merritt had 
failed to discover the famous hat that had cost him so much 
toil and sacrifice. To have penetrated into the country of 
the Indas, and not have entered into communication with 
that Willi who was even now perhaps reveling in the posses- 
sion of that historical headgear, was truly a piece of ill luck. 
He was somewhat consoled, it is true, by the Mani’s positive 
assertion that the fashion of European headdresses had not 
yet reached the tribes of the northwest — far behind the 
progress of those of the northeast in that respect ; his 
dream could not possibly have been realized, therefore, in 
those parts. In any case, he could congratulate himself 
upon that memorable shot which had rid the world and the 
Branicans of “that Burker fiend,” as Zach Fren called him. 

The journey proceeded smartly ; nor did the caravan 
suffer much from thirst, the wells being now already filled 
by the autumnal rainfall, and the temperature keeping 
within bearable limits. 

At the height of Lake Wood, the party reached for the 
first time one of the telegraph stations, and the news was 
soon scattered over the world that Mrs. Branican’s bold 
undertaking had at last been crowned with success. 

There the Mani and his men had to take leave of Cap- 
tain John and Dolly, not, of course, without receiving all 
the grateful acknowledgments of their overflowing hearts, 
preliminary to the more substantial presents which the 
captain forwarded to them immediately on his arrival at 
Adelaide. 

They now had only to follow the line through Alexan- 
dra Land as far as Alice Spring, where they arrived on the 
evening of the 19th of June, after a seven weeks’ ride. 

There, under the faithful guard of the station-master, 
Tom Marix found the full stock he had left on their way 
out, the oxen and the wagons, the buggies and the horses, 
for the remainder of the journey. 


37 « 


MISTRESS BRANICAN. 


And so it came to pass that on the 31st of July the party 
boarded a train at Farina Town, and the next day entered 
Adelaide station. 

The welcome given to Captain John and his undaunted 
wife has become historical. 

A perfect ovation awaited them ; and when Captain John 
with his wife and his son appeared at the balcony of his 
hotel in King William Street, the thunder of hurrahs was 
such, according to Gin-Ghi, that it must have reached to 
the far distant confines of the Celestial Empire. 

Their stay at Adelaide was naturally of short duration. 
How John and Dolly longed to return to San Diego, to 
their friends, to their home at Prospect House, where hap- 
piness was returning with them ! 

They therefore parted with Tom Marix and his men, 
whose services were liberally recompensed and would 
never be forgotten. 

Another companion, whose memory would never fade 
either, was that crank, Jos Merritt, who determined to 
leave Australia too ; himself and his faithful attendant. 

Forspoth, the undiscoverable hat was not in Australia ; 
where could it be? 

Where ? Why, in a royal abode, where it was preserved 
with all the respect it was entitled to. Yes, Jos Merritt 
had been misled by erroneous information and had scoured 
the five parts of the world for a hat which lay in royal lux- 
ury at Windsor Castle, as he ascertained six months later. 
This was the hat or diadem-bonnet worn by Her Most Gra- 
cious Majesty when she was received by King Louis Phi- 
lippe m 1845 ; and Jos Merritt must have been crazy, to 
say the least, to imagine that this chef-d'oeuvre of a Parisian 
modiste could have ended its existence on the woolly head 
of an Australian savage ! 

His peregrinations, accordingly, came to an end, to the 
delight of Gin-Ghi, but to the intense grief of the famous 


THE DENOUEMENT. 


377 


collector, who returned to Liverpool broken-hearted at be- 
ing unable to complete his museum with this unique speci- 
men. 

Three weeks after leaving Adelaide on board the Abra- 
ham Lincoln , John, Dolly, and Godfrey Branican, accom- 
panied by Zach Fren and the servant Harriet, landed at 
San Diego. 

And shall we add that, not Mr. William Andrew and 
Captain Ellis alone, but the whole population greeted 
the happy return of one of San Diego’s most renowned 
children ? 


% 


THE END. 







~ -1 • > . 

. 

’ v' ■ 






































































% & 









































































































































- • 


• 1 






















* 



* 


I 
























1/1 





